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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26214310">Blood Kin</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaurLin/pseuds/MaurLin'>MaurLin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Blood Work [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(I WILL make that a tag), Alternate Universe - Vampire, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Lila Rossi Lies, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Myth &amp; Folklore, Original Akuma, POV Multiple, POV Original Character, snek!Jagged</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:08:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>46,413</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26214310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaurLin/pseuds/MaurLin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nikolai's son Sami comes to Paris to escape his own problems, and finds a whole new set when he meets the Heroes of Paris.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Blood Work [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1785706</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Home on the Farm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Trigger Warnings: For those who haven't read the tags, this is a Vampire AU with original characters. Blood and bloodsucking will be mentioned, but not emphasized- bloodsucking scenes will be tagged in the chapter notes (I think there's only one).</p><p>This is the third story in a series, and it heavily references the previous two- you can read it alone if you want, but it will make more sense if you read the others first.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It only took fifteen seconds after walking in his front door, before Nikolai knew what Katrin had meant about his eldest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three of those seconds had been spent giving his ten-year-old twins, Garen and Ouida, the hugs they demanded before they would let go of his legs. Three more were required to greet his twenty-two-year-old girl Tallis, who bounced up and down at her father’s return. The next nine were occupied in a heated greeting with his very pregnant wife, as the younger kids groaned in disgust and scattered back to their chores.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then he turned to Sami and saw the anxiety hidden behind the solemn features. Brown eyes glanced briefly into his before looking away, and fingers twitched at the end of too-stiff arms. Nikolai decided that a hug would not be welcomed by his son at the moment, and opted for an arm around the shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Sami. I missed you too,” he said, giving a gentle squeeze. “How are things?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A slight shrug of the tense shoulders under his arm was his only response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I had a chance to talk to your mom yesterday,” and with that, Nikolai could feel the tension in his son go up, “and she said that Honey isn’t doing well. Let’s look in on her and see what needs doing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami nodded and followed his father out to the goat barn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Carefully inspecting Honey brought Nikolai to the same conclusion as the vet. Honey could barely walk anymore, and she was in enough pain that she didn’t want to eat; the other goats were happily stealing the fodder left for her. Even a month ago, such thievery would have earned the offender a nip or a headbutt, but now…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Honey,” Nikolai breathed. A look in her eyes, and he knew. She was tired, bone-tired, in pain, and she knew her time was nearly over. He let his hand fall from her head; she couldn’t even object to the lack of his scratches beyond a small jerk of her head in his direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s time for her to go, isn’t it, Dad?” The words out of Sami’s mouth were flat, and Nikolai knew his son was only half-thinking of their oldest goat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It is.” He stood and walked over to Sami. “I need to prepare for her Blutfest. Do you want to help me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A long pause made Nikolai wonder, but then, “Yeah, Dad. I’ll help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The table and vessels were almost ready when Sami began to talk. “Dad…did you ever just…wish you were human?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai only raised an eyebrow at the question. Sami was staring at the table, polishing it long past clean. He wouldn’t be asking without a reason, but he wouldn’t just tell his father the problem; it had to be coaxed out, like a skittish calf.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean…don’t you ever wish that you…didn’t have to hide what you are?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Now we’re getting closer.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Once or twice, when I was near your age, I think,” Nikolai said in as neutral a tone as he could. He set the freshly-scrubbed catch basin below the table grooves. “Usually, when I had to convince someone that they didn’t see me suck a rabbit dry. Or eat it raw, afterwards.” Being a hemovore by nature, well…such things were normal to a vampire. Raw meat still contained some blood, after all. “Not that Grandpa didn’t keep us fed, but sometimes tweenagers get hungry.” He smiled at Sami, inviting him to share the joke; Sami’s appetite before Nikolai had gone to Paris was a running gag in the family.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonight, the joke fell flat; clearly, Sami had something else on his mind. “There’s…a girl at school.” He didn’t need to specify </span>
  <em>
    <span>human</span>
  </em>
  <span> since they were the only vampire family around. The closest vampire family to them lived in Bordeaux; the next closest, near Nice. It stemmed from the days when vampires were very territorial to protect their food supply; even now, they didn’t tend to live too close to each other unless they were related. Katrin was from the family in Bordeaux, and sometimes she and the kids traveled there. That family was a good twenty or thirty strong…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai put away thoughts of why he was the only surviving member of his birth family since his father died. He was making a family here on the farm in Orleans, and right now his son needed him to pay attention. “Oh? Breaking another heart?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This would have earned him a Sami™ eyeroll on any other day. His son was handsome, by human standards; even his ‘horrible teeth, that’s why I don’t smile much’ hadn’t put off most of the girls (and one or two of the boys) in his class. This time, nothing but a growl. Whatever was going on with this girl, it wasn’t a confession of love.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>wish</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was like that. That, I can handle.” Sami swiped savagely at the table with the cloth in his hand. “She’s been…hinting…all week. Saying things about ‘bloodsucking’ and ‘being a vampire’ whenever she’s around me…anytime she can slip it into the conversation…and she always looks at me sideways when she says it.” Sami turned and looked his father in the eyes. “She cornered me yesterday, away from everyone else. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dad.” He shuddered. “And it’s worse than that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai stood in front of his son and saw the fear in his face. He put a hand on Sami’s shoulder. “How, worse?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami sighed, looking down at his feet. “She says that she’s hidden proof all over in case she ‘forgets’, like she knows what I could do. But she thinks being a vampire is like the books she’s read. That vampires turn humans into more vampires, and they live forever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me guess,” Nikolai echoed his son’s sigh. “She thinks she’s pretty, and she wants you to ‘turn’ her, so she stays young and beautiful for eternity. Completely forgetting that she would have to drink human blood for the rest of her existence if it were true. And also ignoring the fact that you love garlic, wear a silver pendant, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>go to school in daylight</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Finally, Sami gave his father a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if you don’t give her what she wants, then…what? She’ll ‘out’ you to the whole school?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami gaped at Nikolai “How’d you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai shrugged. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Same merde, different decade.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “That happened to me once, too, when I was your age, only it was a boy who wanted to live forever. Made my life rough until Grandpa handled it. He had me change schools while he talked with the boy’s parents about his ‘drug delusions’.” And that had been really annoying; he had just started to feel comfortable at the first school after so long being homeschooled; sometimes the vampire lifespan and biology made blending in with humans that much more difficult. But the alternative of being known as real…and hunted…Nikolai turned away from that thought, too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami had a thoughtful look on his face. “Is that an option?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai blinked. “Is it that bad?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It could be. I didn’t confirm anything, but Riva’s the queen of the school; no one wants to be on her bad side. I think I’m the only one who talks to Franco anymore after what she did to him last month. Not because he did anything terrible, but because none of the other kids want her after them.” Sami looked up. “But…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apprehension made a shiver go up Nikolai’s spine. “But?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s an opening for a student to go to a school in Paris. You have to apply for it by the end of the week for next term. And they’d send a student to our school. I guess it’s our school that’s having trouble getting someone to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not a surprise. Who’d send their kid into a city of monsters?” Nikolai gave Sami a hard glance. “Especially if they could become one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess it wouldn’t work, then…” Sami’s shoulders slumped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I’m less worried about you becoming a monster than how you would get your dietary needs.” Nikolai pursed his lips as they left the room to gather the family. “If I sent a package every week for your blood needs… and our contact at the blood bank might help with the monthly dose of human blood…of course, you know how to trap and kill rats or pigeons if you have to…” He patted his son’s back. “Go get your mother and sibs while I get Honey ready. You and I will talk it over with your mother tomorrow and, if that’s what you want…we’ll see if we can make it work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave his son a hug before they separated. “And just so you know, I met a couple of humans on this last trip who have to hide who they are just as much as you do. Being human doesn’t mean you don’t have to wear a mask. Okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami nodded and broke away to get the family together.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Arrival in Paris</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami arrives in Paris to spend a term at Francoise Dupont. But where's Master Fu?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Apologies for being completely sleep-deprived when posting Chapter 1; I'm a little better now. (A little. Not much.)</p><p>Thanks again to Elric-Draconious for the beta work on this story. </p><p>Posting for this fic will be MonWedFriSat, unless circumstances interfere. Don't worry; the story is done; we will reach the end somewhere in October.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Mom may have been right, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sami thought, as he stared at the closed massage parlor. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t know what I’m letting myself in for.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Not an hour in Paris, and already their plans were running into a snag.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last six weeks had been nothing but trouble. On his parents’ advice, he’d ignored Riva’s impossible demands, not even admitting that it was the truth. At the end of the week, she sent a video to all of the students in her contact list, and it got passed around from there. Actually, the content was little more than circumstantial ‘evidence’ and speculation. But school gossip is a court of public opinion- and Sami was more than happy to get away from the whispers and rumors that even his friends seemed to half-believe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katrin’s concerns with Sami going to Paris were just like any mother’s- where would her son stay, how would he navigate the ‘dangerous’ city, and how would he eat- that last was her main concern, really. It took some doing, but acceptable solutions were found.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai had wanted to ask Fu if he had houseroom, but hadn’t been able to get ahold of him in time. Just in case, he had a couple other options for housing set up, but Fu would have been their first choice- if he’d still been here. Sami wondered what happened to their old (reluctant) ally. The next choice would be the spare room at Detective Guerin’s; he turned and started to head that way, glancing at his phone’s map.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The food situation really was a concern. Sami was still young, by vampire standards; about the equivalent of fourteen though he was twice that old. Younger vampires needed more blood than older ones as they grew, and they could be subject to a condition called ‘blood fever’ if they didn’t get enough. Sami’s mother had the same problem; until her new baby was birthed and weaned, she would need more than the usual amount of blood as she fed her baby. A lack of blood would cause her to go insane, killing indiscriminately until her needs were met. Nikolai wanted very much for that not to happen, either at home or in the heart of France’s capital.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami was carrying a cooler with his first week’s supply of animal blood (plus some extra), and his dad gave him the contact in Paris for the blood bank. Between that, his duffel, and his backpack with his tablet and emergency kit (his mother’s idea, and he wasn’t objecting- much), Sami was glad of his vampire- farmboy strength.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katrin had fretted and warned her son often in the weeks it took to get the plans in place. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t go looking for trouble, Sami. Stay away from any monster fights and especially from the Black Cat and Ladybug. And don’t be tempted to drink human blood too often-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I won’t, Mom.” He gave her a hug. “I know it’s dangerous, but I also know why I’m going. Riva will have to find someone else to pick on.” He’d felt a bit guilty about that, leaving Franco to face the school alone, but even he’d agreed that Riva was acting just crazy enough that escape was the only real option for Sami until she calmed down.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s parents had asked if he wanted one of them to come with him, but he’d refused. He knew his dad couldn’t be away from the farm too long, and his mother probably shouldn’t travel so close to her due date. He was going to miss out on meeting his new brother or sister right away…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head and called the detective to let him know that he was on his way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Detective Guerin met him at the door. “Lucky you; it’s my day off. Means I can help get you set up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The gruff man showed Sami into a bedroom and gave him a quick tour of the apartment. “Bathroom’s there, kitchen here. I have blackout shades in the room for when I used this room as an office, so no problem with making it dark when you need it. And I had a mini-fridge; I cleaned it out for your supplies.” He pointed to the (not-so) small appliance in the corner. It was certainly big enough for his blood supplies and also any other snacks he might want in there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami smiled, the closed-lip smile that he used with humans</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Vampire teeth tended to make most humans uncomfortable; he hid it by not grinning much, which matched his serious nature. “Thank you, sir. I’ll try not to be a bother.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The detective raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you’ll be that whether you want to be or not. Don’t worry about it.” Guerin spun the desk chair around and sat down, waving for Sami to sit on the bed. “House rules: tell me where you’re going to be every day. If plans change, text messages exist. You’re a vampire in the city, and that city is Paris; there’s enough crazy crap going on in the streets without me or your dad wondering if you’re mixed up in it.” He held up another finger. “Meals are on you; your mom told me you can cook, I get groceries delivered every week, the food here is available for you, and I’m not here a lot. Just wash whatever dishes you use </span>
  <em>
    <span>immediately.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Sami sighed; he could cook, but didn’t like to. He saw a lot of sandwiches in his future.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And most important- no guests, unless I vet them first.” Guerin gave Sami a gimlet stare. “I have things from work stored here sometimes, and you don’t want anyone not in the know prying into your room. If you need to meet someone for school, meet them somewhere else, or at their house. Use me as an excuse if they insist.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami nodded. All the rules were common sense. Then something occurred to him. “Don’t I have a curfew?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Guerin shook his head. “You’re a farmboy; you know better than to stay out til all hours when you have things to do in the morning. Just let me know where you are, and we’ll have no problems. Need help unpacking?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Just let me get the blood and cheese into the fridge.” Sami got up to get the cooler.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cheese?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dad sent it as a gift for…someone. In case I meet them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh. Well, to each his own…” The detective tossed him a key and stepped over to the door. “Settle in; you start school the day after tomorrow, and it’s the Akuma school.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s eyebrows flew up in an unspoken question. His father had told him about the monsters in Paris, and that they were called </span>
  <em>
    <span>akumas</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but…there was a school of them?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One side of Guerin’s mouth twisted in something not quite a smile. “College Françoise Dupont. Nearly every student there has been akumatized, and the faculty too. You’d think Hawkmoth had a vendetta against the place. You should be okay, though, unless- can vampires get akumatized?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami threw up his hands in an ‘I dunno’ gesture. “Dad’s done some research, and he thinks probably not, but he could be wrong. He just warned me to keep my emotions in check.” Sami sighed. “I’d have to do that anyway, to be sure my telepathy isn’t doing more to people than hiding the fact that I’m not human.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The detective clapped him on the back. “Good kid. You’ll be fine, then.” His phone buzzed, as did Sami’s. “Ah, hell; an akuma alert. The other side of the river and Ladybug and Cat Noir are already there. We’ll keep an eye on it in case it heads this way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t, and the threat was over in under an hour. Sami forgot about the alert as he set up the room to his liking and prepared for his first day at Françoise Dupont.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you made it this far, good for you! The setup's over, and our new vampire friend will meet the friendly horde over at Francoise Dupont shortly.</p><p>Let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A New School</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami joins Ms. Bustier's class- and meets a few people.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta work!</p><p>Now we come to the school. Who will Sami meet there?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sami stood at the door to his class, clutching his schedule and other papers in his hand. The meeting with the principal (and his mother, over the phone) had gone well enough. He had tried to come early enough to not disrupt class by making an entrance; school didn’t officially start for another five minutes, so hopefully he’d make a good impression on the teacher.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steeling himself, he entered the room. The red-haired lady at the desk must be Miss Bustier; Sami headed over to introduce himself, very aware of all the eyes on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes, our sister-school’s exchange student,” said Miss Bustier cheerfully. “We’ll just introduce you before morning compliments.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami blinked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Morning compliments?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Just how did a person compliment the morning? Maybe Miss Bustier was a sun worshiper?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The teacher patted his shoulder. “It’s all right; you’ll see. For now, let me see where we’ll put you.” She tapped a finger on her lip as she studied the class. “I think we’ll let the class decide.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, there were so many things that could go wrong with that. Sami knew cliques, and he knew people would want to stay with their friends. He was amazed that a teacher would suggest such a thing; all of his had set the seating charts themselves, and only moved someone if there was a problem. “Uh…why don’t I just sit wherever there’s an open spot. Nobody needs to fuss.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Miss Bustier frowned. “I’m afraid the only open spot is next to Ivan.” A large boy looked up from the desk in the third row.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami smiled, close-mouthed. “It’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The classroom door banged open, and Sami heard, “I’m here, Miss-“ right before a body barreled into him from behind. Caught by surprise, he toppled to the floor, pinned by whoever had run into him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The body gasped and began to apologize. “Sorry, sorry!” It sounded like a girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” Sami wheezed, “as long as you get off!” The rest of the class was laughing, except for a blond boy in the front row; he glared at Sami as if the girl’s accident was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> fault. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Great, jealous boyfriend.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl clambered to her feet and held out a hand for Sami, who took it and got up. Blondie glared just a little more at that, although he tried to hide it. His deskmate, another boy in a red cap, elbowed the blond, who looked away. The girl scuttled to a seat behind the blond.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Miss Bustier cleared her throat. “Class, this is Sami Vercher. He is the student from our sister school in Orleans and will be with us for this term. Please, make him welcome in our class…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, if the girl from the row behind him (was her name Lila? He couldn’t remember) didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>shut up,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sami was going to go nuts. She had a voice that absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>grated</span>
  </em>
  <span> on his nerves, so much so that it mattered less to him that every word she spoke was flaming </span>
  <em>
    <span>garbage </span>
  </em>
  <span>than that he wished that she’d be stricken by a disease for </span>
  <em>
    <span>real.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Preferably laryngitis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The class had asked him questions during the break -what did his family do, did he have any hobbies, the usual. On learning that Sami’s family ran a dairy farm, Lila began to lament her lactose intolerance that wouldn’t allow her to taste any of their cheeses; her pout prompted some of her friends to beg Sami to do something about that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trying to be pleasant, Sami replied, “Actually, Lila, most people with lactose problems have no trouble with our goat cheese. I can have my dad send me some for you-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no need for that- I hate it when people make a fuss over me,” Lila crooned, placing one hand over her heart. The grating noise got worse as she spoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he mentioned that he played violin, Lila claimed to know a famous violinist who she could introduce to him. As if Sami </span>
  <em>
    <span>cared.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He already knew the farm was going to be his life; he enjoyed the work and the animals. Plus, famous people would come and go in his lifetime; he remembered reading in the paper about people that were famous before his classmates were </span>
  <em>
    <span>born.</span>
  </em>
  <span> There was literally no value to him in anything she said- assuming any of it was true, and he wouldn’t bet on that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Sometimes he felt really, really old next to his classmates. Having a longer lifespan than a human might sound good, but occasionally it stunk.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mostly play for fun, Lila,” he said, trying to hide his distaste. “I really don’t need an introduction to anyone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This prompted most of the class to encourage him with stories of the people Lila knew. And most of them were absolute nonsense. Sami had to wonder if Lila had some kind of magic that allowed her to convince people of this stuff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not his problem. So long as she </span>
  <em>
    <span>stopped talking.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, he pushed his way out of the center of the group (and, not so incidentally, away from Lila), with the excuse that he had to go to the restroom. As he passed, the girl from the collision that morning fell into step beside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, I’m Marinette,” said the pigtailed girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, we’ve met. Sort of.” Sami gave her one of his small smiles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I wanted to apologize for that. Sometimes I can be a bit…clumsy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So can anyone.” He shrugged. “No problem.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, I’m the student council rep for our class, so if you have any questions, you can ask me. Okay?” Marinette gave Sami a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, she wasn’t hanging around that lying leech; maybe she knew the story. “Can you tell me about Lila?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Marinette stiffen, and hurried to fix it. “Sorry; I mean, can you tell me why the class tolerates her lying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. You noticed.” Marinette relaxed again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hard not to,” Sami snorted. “She obviously wants attention, but how does anyone stand her voice?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl twisted her hands together. “She…just tells people what they want to hear.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? I want to hear her silence; when do I get to hear that?” Marinette giggled, as Sami paused at the entrance to the bathroom. “Seriously, her voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette gave him a weird look. “It does?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami froze, with the feeling of having stepped on a landmine that hadn’t gone off yet. Maybe she couldn’t hear it; maybe it was him. “Uh, yeah? Don’t know why, but it does.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>I have to ask Dad…</span>
  </em>
  <span> Not a day in, and already he was having to cover his differences.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An arm in a white shirt came out of nowhere and landed on Marinette’s shoulders. The blond from the front row smiled at Sami, though there was a slight edge to it. “Hey…Sami, right? I’m Adrien.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello,” Sami said. It didn’t hurt to be polite; maybe if he made it clear he had no interest in poaching Marinette from the blond, Adrien would relax.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How has your first day been?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami replied cautiously. “Pretty good, except for Lila. Is she ever quiet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s been known to happen, but watch out when she is,” said Marinette. “She’s probably thinking up another story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the tip.” Sami ducked into the men’s room. He could hear Marinette and Adrien talking to each other outside; probably about him, but… not his problem, unless they made it his. He went about his business.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrien, what is it?” Marinette turned to her partner. “He’s new, he hasn’t done anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien huffed. He had no idea what it was about the new kid that raised his hackles; something about him just made the model want to stand between Sami and Marinette at all times. “I don’t know, princess,” he said. “Something about him is… off.” He glowered at the bathroom door.  “I just wish I knew what.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, come on. Until he does something, he’s innocent, right?” Marinette steered them both toward the classrooms. “And he dislikes Lila. So there’s that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien snorted quietly and allowed himself to be led away, with only one distrustful glance back at the bathroom door.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, this is Sami getting introduced to the people we know and love. How will he feel about them- or they him?</p><p>Let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Bullrider</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami sees an akuma for the first time- and the Heroes of Paris.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for continuing to beta. Goodness knows they probably didn't know what they agreed to when they began...</p><p>Please enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The akuma alert went off on his phone as Sami was drying his hands. But the screams from the courtyard told him where it was first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leaving the bathroom and the lockers at a dead run, Sami ducked around the edge of the courtyard to avoid the- creature- in the center. It looked like nothing so much as a minotaur out of Greek myth, bull-head and legs, human body and arms, horns, and nose-ring. If he hadn’t seen it, Sami would’ve said it was impossible. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Weren’t minotaurs driven to extinction in Grecian times?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not the time to be speculating. The beast was chasing anything that moved, so it was like a real bull, drawn to movement. Sami held still while he could see any part of the beast’s eyes and only moved when its head was turned, until he could get into a more secure position under some stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly a red-and-black blur shot past, as a boy dressed as a black cat dropped onto the minotaur’s shoulders from above. Sami’s mouth went dry; this was the Black Cat his father had told him about. The one who killed a vampire (a rogue, but still…). He tried to make himself move, but he was frozen where he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The monster reared back its head, and a great gout of flame shot from its mouth. Screams erupted from the upper floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It breathes fire. Of course, it does.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s hands twitched as he kept his gaze locked on the akuma. Never turn your back on cattle; that was the rule, and it had saved him from a dozen or more nasty kicks over the course of his life. He didn’t have any of the advantages of home, not the least of which was that </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> bull didn’t know him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The minotaur wasn’t paying attention to anything but the cat on his back and the girl in the spotted suit on the side (who must be Ladybug; Sami’s dad had mentioned her too). It breathed a gout of fire towards the girl; as she spun and ducked away, a yoyo flashed out to tangle around the monster’s legs. It snarled, grabbing the string in its meaty fist and tugging Ladybug closer; she had to drop the line to keep out of its reach. The yoyo loosened, and the creature stepped out of the loops. The Black Cat snarled, and swiped at the hand, causing the minotaur to drop the string.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the bull-headed man tried to dislodge his passenger, Ladybug retrieved her yoyo from the floor. She spun it into the air, crying, “Lucky Charm!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami watched in amazement as a coil of red-and-black rope dropped into her hands. Just then the monster got a hold of the Black Cat as he slipped; the akuma threw the hero through a classroom wall next to Sami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cat Noir!” The girl ran to her partner, who was stunned and shaking his head. Sami saw the minotaur’s eyes follow the red-suited girl across the room; he could tell that the monster intended to charge and trample them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t planned, or smart, but Sami moved before he thought. He grabbed the odd-colored rope- and it wasn’t exactly a rope, it was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lariat-</span>
  </em>
  <span> and made a loop. If he could get the loop over the horns, at least- he threaded the rest of the rope through the metal stairs, tossing the end to Ivan, who was hiding nearby. “Go around the post, then give me the end!” he hissed to the boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The minotaur appeared to be fighting itself; there was an outline of purple-pink energy over its bovine face. Finally, it moved- and Sami threw the loop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It couldn’t have gone better if he’d planned it. The loop fell right over the horns, just as he wanted; he yanked the loop tight, throwing the akuma off balance. It stumbled towards the stairs; Sami pulled on the rope, trapping the monster’s head against the stairs. Quickly tying a full hitch around the post, Sami stepped back, breathing deeply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The akuma’s head was pinned against the stairs by the threaded loop, trapped so it could only breathe fire in one direction. But it still had hands, and those hands were searching for a weak point in the rope.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Too late. The Black Cat had recovered and touched a bubbling dark hand (which made a chill go up Sami’s spine) to the nose ring. As it crumbled to dust, a black butterfly emerged, which was snapped up by Ladybug’s yoyo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then the Black Cat- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cat Noir,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ladybug had called him- turned to Sami. And he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not happy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami was pinned under the Cat’s glare; he barely noticed a wash of red and pink swirling around behind them. The blond hero grabbed him around the waist and vaulted up to the roof of the school, where he unceremoniously dropped his burden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami fell on his butt and scuttled back until he bumped against the shallow wall. For the first time, he felt completely helpless; he knew his telepathy wouldn’t work on Cat Noir, and the hero was as strong as he was. His dad had said that the Cat was a good person, but with that look on his face…Sami swallowed hard and looked away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A whizzing sound to his left, and Ladybug alighted on the roof next to her partner. Sami didn’t dare look her in the face, either. She put her hand on Cat Noir’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The man’s back to normal; he’s being looked at by the school nurse before she sends him back to his home,” she said quietly. Turning towards Sami, Ladybug continued. “But interfering in an akuma fight- no matter how well it turned out- could have gotten you badly hurt. What were you thinking?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami took a deep breath and focused on Cat Noir’s tail as it flicked back and forth. “I-I was thinking- I’m a farmboy. I know how to handle cattle. He was acting in a way I understood, and- I didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> think I was in danger.” He glanced up to meet Cat Noir’s eyes. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> Nikolai’s son, after all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All the belligerence seemed to drain out of Cat Noir at that, and Ladybug gasped. “Nikolai? The good vampire?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami nodded, relieved. “Yeah. He told me about the two of you- and about Varujan- before I came here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug stiffened. “Did he tell you who we are?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, he said that wasn’t his secret to tell. Although he did say that he might if lives were at stake.” Sami glanced at Ladybug before looking away. She’d been caught in a vampire’s mental net before; he wouldn’t risk traumatizing her mind any further by accident while he was still unsettled. “But- do you know what happened to Master Fu?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two heroes looked at each other and seemed to deflate. “He’s- gone. Retired to another country, and not coming back,” Ladybug said sadly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Sami rubbed the fingers of his right hand; it was a little sore from pulling on the rope, but the ache was fading as his healing kicked in. “Dad’ll be sorry to hear that, he would’ve wanted to say goodbye. Fu saved him once, you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, we didn’t. We’d like to hear about it sometime,” Ladybug said as a shrill beeping filled the air. “But we’re about to run out of time; we need to go.” She pointed to a door. “That stairwell will lead you back to your classroom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait!” Sami said. “Um, Cat Noir? My dad sent you a gift; how can I get it to you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir blinked. “Uh…” He glanced at Ladybug, who shrugged. “I’ll… find you later?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Thanks,” Sami said as the two vanished over the roofs. He turned to the stairwell door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made it three feet inside before the shakes hit. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mom’s gonna kill me…</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>How would you handle facing an akuma? Let me know in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Cat's View</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adrien thinks about Sami, and defends him from a zealous friend.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Happy Labor Day, to those who celebrate it! (Happy Monday for everyone else.) Time for another chapter!</p><p>Thanks again to my beta and to my support group; encouragement is always appreciated!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adrien detransformed in the men’s room, and walked out, meeting Marinette on the way to the classroom. Break was over, and classes always tried to start up again right after an attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t quite know what to think. If Sami was anything like Nikolai, then he was trustworthy- but still. A vampire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien tried not to think about Varujan too much, and he knew Marinette tried not to as well. Between that trauma and the others- most recently the loss of Fu, making her the Guardian- Adrien was glad they’d discovered each other before that; Marinette had desperately needed support over the last month. Although some of that didn’t go so well…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He set aside the mental conflict over Sami as he and Marinette entered the classroom. Ms. Mendeleiev hadn’t arrived yet, which was odd, but akumas at the school always threw a wrench in the day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Marinette! Did you see?” Alya was bouncing in her seat while typing furiously on her phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya rolled her eyes at her friend. “Girl, you miss all the good action!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nino spoke up. “Dude, Sami roped the akuma like it was nothing! He was like a straight-up cowboy!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? That sounds cool,” Adrien tried to muster up enthusiasm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Ladyblog forums are gonna freak when I post this!” Alya already had the page pulled up, when Marinette laid a hand on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alya, you know you need to get Sami’s permission before you post that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on! It was awesome, he won’t care!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Alya…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Ladyblogger huffed. “Oh, all </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’ll wait,” she said, then muttered, “five minutes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It turned out to be longer- Ms. Mendeleiev had a complicated lab for the class to work on, and Sami showed up about ten minutes in, looking tired and a little shaky. The teacher gave him a short lecture on being tardy and sent him to his seat to work with Ivan. Alya didn’t get a chance to ask until they were released for lunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien watched her bounce out of her seat and turn around. “Hey Sami, you probably don’t know, but I report on all the akumas in the city on my blog. I got some great footage of you roping that akuma, and I’m going to post it, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami went pale. “No!” he exclaimed, then took a breath and said more quietly, “I don’t want my picture anywhere on social media. Please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya blinked. “But- why not? What you did was awesome!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami held up a hand. “Alya, right?” She nodded. “I don’t want my picture posted anywhere. Not photos, not video, not anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya leaned into Sami’s space. “Well, I can’t just have no footage when it was right here. I promise I won’t put your name on the post-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Alya.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Now the farmboy sounded angry. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>No. Pictures.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He picked up his bag and practically ran out of the room, leaving Alya behind, stunned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What- what’s his problem?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien caught Marinette’s eye and nodded. She would stay while he followed the young vampire. He ducked out the door in time to see Sami making a beeline for the locker room; Adrien hurried to follow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He caught up to Sami as he was fishing a backpack out of his locker. “Hi.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi. Um, not to be rude, but…I’d really like to not be around people right now.” Sami slung the extra bag over his shoulder, looking warily at the model.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien sighed. Looked like he had some damage control to do. “I wanted to…apologize for being kind of a jerk this morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay. You were just looking out for your girlfriend, and you weren’t as bad as some guys at my old school.” Sami tried to edge around Adrien, heading for the locker room door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look, I want to help. It seemed like Alya struck a nerve; are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami sighed and looked around for listeners. “So, um…part of the reason I came here was because of a girl at my old school, okay? She took a bunch of videos and pictures of me, completely out of context, and edited them together into a video she showed the whole school.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah; most of the school believed her garbage. Or half-believed, it, anyway. I caught a lot of flak before I came here.” Sami rolled his eyes. “She called me a ‘vampire’; can you believe that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, actually Adrien could, but Sami didn’t know that. “Wow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just- don’t want to give her any more ammunition. I came here to get away from that for a while.” Sami slipped out the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien followed. “Hey, I get it. I do modeling for my dad, and he’s always checking my social media, making sure no one can use what’s posted against me. It sucks that someone would do that to you.” He kept up with Sami easily. “Maybe I can talk Alya down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” Sami looked around the courtyard, which was slowly filling with students. “I need to find a quiet corner for lunch. Any suggestions?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien threw Sami a grin. “Usually I go home for lunch; I’d say there, but my dad…doesn’t like me to bring people to the house. I guess, try the park outside? Maybe some sun would do you good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that Sami bit his lip, though it twitched with a suppressed laugh. “Sure. See you later.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bye.” Adrien waved to Sami, and headed back toward their classroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-he said ‘no’, Alya! If he doesn’t want the video posted, don’t post it!” Marinette looked done with Alya’s nonsense as they crossed the courtyard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya had that stubborn look Adrien had seen before. “What’s he got against it? It’s not like it’d hurt him! People would love to see a hero without a mask!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien shook his head as he joined the girls. “Actually, it sounds like it could hurt him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He blew out a breath, considering his words. “Remember when I told you to be careful about posting any pictures with me in them, or tagging me in your posts?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Alya frowned. “But I doubt Sami has a scary dad and a team of land-shark lawyers watching out for his brand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, he doesn’t. And someone at his old school took advantage of that to make him look bad. Posting a video of him- even if you don’t give his name- well, whoever hates Sami could find it and make his life harder when he has to go back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh…” Alya’s face was full of indecision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien gave Alya a serious look; she’d needed a wake-up call for a while about being more cautious with what she posted. “Not to mention, Hawkmoth might find it and target him. The guy might have butterflies for brains, but he’s gone after other people who were close to akumas in public before.” Adrien deliberately glanced over to Chloe, who was striding toward the school doors, no doubt to go to the hotel for lunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya slumped; Marinette looked relieved. “Fine, Agreste, you’ve made your point.” Alya locked her phone and stowed it away. “Come on, girl, let’s go eat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Mission accomplished.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adrien headed out to his own ride, wishing Marinette could come have lunch with him instead.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So this is the newcomer from a different perspective. How will things go from here?</p><p>Let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Facing Parents</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami talks to his parents, and the heroes stop by.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks again to Elric-Draconious for continuing to beta this.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“You roped a monster. And tied it up.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Sami could see his mother massaging her forehead over the video chat. Nightly check-ins were a mandate she had insisted on when they had hashed out this plan, but he hadn’t been looking forward to this one. </span><em><span>“Not even one day in school, and you’re already involved in monster attacks.” </span></em><span>She</span> <span>glanced at her husband, seated next to her. </span><em><span>“That’s </span></em><b><em>your</em></b><em><span> son.”</span></em></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai shrugged, not denying the implied accusation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami shrunk a little into his seat on the bed. “I didn’t plan on roping a minotaur, Mom. It just sort of- happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katrin wasn’t impressed with this argument. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“And the rope just fell into your hands, right? So you had to use it?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well…no.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ll thank you to stay out of trouble from here on out.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>She got up, with a bit of effort, and smiled softly at Sami though there was worry in her eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I really don’t want to see you hurt, Sami.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>She blew him a kiss. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ll leave you boys to talk.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami watched her walk out of camera range, then glanced at his dad. Nikolai was grave as he caught his son’s attention.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “Honestly, Sami, I’m not sure whether to be annoyed or proud right now.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it helps- Cat Noir was definitely annoyed. Probably Ladybug too, but she covered it better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I guess that leaves me with proud,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai grinned.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “But let’s see if we can keep your mother from early labor over this, okay?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got it, Dad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So, your classmates- what are they like?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami told his dad about the kids he’d met. Nikolai seemed a bit surprised at Adrien and Marinette, but didn’t say anything. But Lila-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t know, Sami. I think there might be something there, especially if the whole class believes what she says without question. But I have to do some research before I can give you any solid advice.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Nikolai gave his son a smile. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Try not to be around her much, if her voice hurts your ears like that.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami rolled his eyes, taking a bite of his liver sandwich and a sip of his cow-blood smoothie. Talking with his dad was great, but food was better. “Hard to do, Dad; she sits right behind me in class. Not that she answers questions much; more like she pulled out a tall tale that had almost nothing to do with the lesson twice today. And of course, at every break, she had to have her herd around her- which was a problem, because they all wanted to talk to the new kid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Poor you. It’ll get better when you’re not new anymore. Just do your best-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two were interrupted by a knock on the- window? Sami went over and pulled up the shades, and was startled to see two figures hanging outside as if they weren’t three stories off the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened the window. “Ladybug, Cat Noir,” he greeted the heroes nervously. “How can I help you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We wanted to check on you. May we come in?” Ladybug gave Sami a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t believe that for a minute, but stepped aside. Nikolai watched with interest from the tablet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir noticed the tablet right away and waved. “Hello Nikolai. We met Sami today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai’s lips were twisted in a smirk. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“It certainly sounds like you did. We’ve already told him to stay away from monsters in the future.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami moved his dinner tray away from the bed to give Ladybug somewhere to sit. Cat Noir sniffed the air, no doubt smelling Sami’s dinner. Sami frowned; no way was he going to apologize for his diet. They knew what he was; he didn’t have to hide it with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it might not have been what I’d expected, but it worked out,” Ladybug was saying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai nodded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Still. It’d be a bad idea for Sami to get hurt in a battle.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug blinked; Cat Noir had a puzzled look on his face. “Why? Ladybug’s Cure fixes akuma damage.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t want to count on that. The Miraculous were made to help humanity combat beings like us; it’s unlikely they would undo any damage Sami happened to take.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai gave Ladybug a hard look.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “Imagine what would happen if your Cure fixed Varujan?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug and Cat Noir both blanched. “That…would not be good…” the heroine said faintly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai nodded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“No, it wouldn’t be. I meant to ask Fu about it before Sami got there; where is he?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The hero partners exchanged a glance. “Gone, along with all his knowledge. Hawkmoth found out about him right after our…incident with Varujan, so he had to go on the run, and then…something else happened. Hawkmoth almost won-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He didn’t though, M’Lady.” Cat Noir put a comforting hand on Ladybug’s arm. “But all our allies were uncovered, we lost Master Fu’s tablet with the translated grimoire, and- Master Fu renounced his Guardianship.” He glanced back at Nikolai. “When he did that, he lost all his memories of the Miraculous. He felt he had to, in case Hawkmoth found him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since then, we’ve been a little on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Ladybug finished. She looked at Sami. “Maybe that’s why we were a little harsh today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s all-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a bang as the door to the bedroom burst open, and Detective Guerin stood there with his weapon in hand. “Stop-“ was all Guerin got out, as Cat Noir yanked Ladybug and Sami to the floor; he blinked at the heroes and put his weapon away. “Sami,” the detective ground out, a warning in his voice, “what did I say about no visitors to the apartment?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What was he supposed to do- leave them hanging on the window?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai remarked; the man jerked around at the sound and spotted the tablet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’d like to speak more to the two of you later, but I need to have a word with Detective Guerin, if that’s all right. Oh, Sami- don’t forget the-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got it, Dad.” Sami got up and went over to the mini-fridge as Ladybug and Cat Noir got off the floor. He pulled out a large brown bag and handed it to Cat Noir. “Dad sent a bunch of cheeses for you. Kind of a mix of what the farm produces.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir smiled at him as he accepted the bag- and for the first time, Sami didn’t feel a twinge of fear. “Thank you. Both of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug was hiding a grin behind her hand. She cleared her throat before it had faded completely. “It was great talking with you both, but we really need to get going. Can we arrange to speak another time?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami looked to Detective Guerin, who sighed as he picked up the tablet with Nikolai still watching. “Sure, stop by anytime,” the detective groused. “But you-“ he pointed at Sami. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>text</span>
  </em>
  <span> me when they come here. No more weird voices from your bedroom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami gulped, nodded, and moved over to the window to let the heroes out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Detective Guerin carried the tablet into his own room, shutting the door. “Well?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“The heroes told me that their allies have been compromised. I was wondering if you’d made any headway in determining if Gabriel Agreste has any connection to Hawkmoth.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not in the last month. It’s hard to convince someone official that we need to watch a certain house when the only proof you have is an overheard conversation by someone you can’t talk about.” The detective set the tablet on the desk, propped up by a stack of books. “Best I could do was suggest some roof cameras in the general neighborhood, a few blocks over in each direction, under the theory that if we can track where those damn butterflies were coming from, we might find him.” He stretched out his shoulders. “We had to cast the net pretty wide at first, but we’ve been slowly shrinking the footprint as we get video. The crime lab geeks are calling for my head because of all the footage they have to go through.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you find Hawkmoth, won’t it be worth it?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sure- once the police figure out exactly what to charge him with. Since Ladybug essentially has a magic reset button, and magic really isn’t handled in law, would we even have a case?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Just let the heroes know when you do find him. The Miraculous are their jurisdiction; Hawkmoth’s should be returned to them.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai grinned, full-toothed, at Guerin. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“And I’m sure ‘disturbing the peace’ would stick. Even if it didn’t, there would be dozens of civil suits against Hawkmoth. He’ll be ruined no matter what when he’s found.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“From your mouth to God’s ears,” muttered Guerin. “At least the Agreste kid seems okay for now. Maybe Gabe got frightened enough by my interviews about the vampire case that he’s letting up on his son a bit.” His smile was every bit as fierce as Nikolai’s, although less sharp-toothed. “Child Services is still keeping a covert eye on Adrien; I can let you know if they’ve found anything we can use in a few weeks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai leaned back and sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Thank you, detective. For everything.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Guerin grunted. “You’re welcome. Good night, Nikolai.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The call ended, and Guerin picked up the tablet to return to Sami. The young vampire was in the kitchen, washing the dishes he’d used. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Good kid, despite his lack of sense. Hope he survives his time at the akuma school.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Adults trying to do the right thing. Who'd have thought?</p><p>Please let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Music on the Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami goes to a Kitty Section rehearsal.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks again to Elric-Draconious for the beta work!</p><p>Happy Friday!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sami’s week was relatively normal after that, except for occasionally wishing that Lila would suddenly become mute. The low-pitched screeching of her voice was hard to endure, and he didn’t dare plug his ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Other than that, school was okay. A pairs project had been announced for history, and he and Adrien had been assigned together. Adrien appeared to have done a complete one-eighty in his attitude toward Sami and was fast becoming a friend. Maybe bonding over people using weird pictures of you to defame you was odd, but Sami wasn’t complaining.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were going to work on their project Saturday afternoon; they would have started in the morning, but Adrien had a photoshoot and Sami had been invited to a rehearsal for the local rock band Kitty Section. While not all rock was to his taste, he couldn’t wait to get to know some of his other classmates better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami picked up his delivery of blood Friday night, knowing it would be a long day ahead. Efram, one of the vampire farmhands, had brought it up on the train, and they had caught up on how the animals were doing while he waited for his return train. It was nice to catch up on the ordinary doings of the farm- how many cows were pregnant, the antics of the goat kids (and the vampire ones; Ouida had taken a liking to one of the newborn barn cats and couldn’t leave it alone no matter how much the mama cat objected), how Efram and his bonded mate, Ryker, had hunted a feral pig that was invading the property. Sami said goodbye to Efram with only a little homesickness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Saturday morning dawned early, but not too bright; the sky was overcast and the air just a bit cooler than average. In Sami’s experience, that meant potential wet weather in the afternoon. He dressed for it, in a long-sleeve tee and jeans and his work boots, and a waterproof coat with hood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Juleka texted directions to the pier where her houseboat was moored; she said her mother had the idea to move the night before, so her previous set of directions wouldn’t work. Sami picked up his backpack with his emergency kit and headed off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the way, he thought of his check-in with his father a couple of nights before. Nikolai was eager to hear about the history assignment; on learning that it covered France’s role in World War II, he reminded Sami of some of his family history during that time period.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But on hearing that Sami was going to Adrien’s house- his father became more somber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Do me a favor, will you?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai had said.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “Keep an eye on Adrien’s dad. I saw him once, and he said some things that have me worried.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami was baffled, but agreed. What could be so worrying about Adrien’s father?</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette had her earplugs in from the moment she set foot on the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Liberté.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It was just good sense. Rehearsal was not supposed to start for another ten minutes (and indeed, couldn’t until Rose got there), but Ivan was already practicing drumrolls, and Juleka’s bass guitar was being tuned. Luka had found a quiet(er) corner to do his own string check and was now strumming softly to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or to her. He did that, now and again, when he thought she was too stressed out, which was often, lately.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette wished it had gone better with Luka. A month ago, they had tried to date, but while they would always be dear friends…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She really couldn’t afford this kind of entanglement right now. (And in the darkest corner of her mind, felt she didn’t really deserve it, anyway.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So they had parted sadly, but amicably. Enough to not be awkward; enough to relax and laugh and listen to good music.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was mending the shoulder of Luka’s costume for a gig that night, when Rose showed up. “Look who I found!” she said excitedly, towing Sami by the wrist straight over the gangplank. Sami, for his part, seemed more than a little tense as he took in the semi-organized chaos on board.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good! You made it!” Mylene took over Sami’s wrist and dropped a set of earplugs into his hand. “You’ll need these.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never would have guessed,” Sami replied, eyeing the drum kit and amplifiers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luka got up and made his way over to the new teen. “Hey. I’m Luka, Juleka’s brother. You’re the new kid, right? The one from the dairy farm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami smiled slightly at the older boy. “Yeah, I’m Sami.” He looked surprised at the fist Luka offered him, but bumped it anyway with his own after a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you play?” Luka asked. “We like to jam with anyone who wants to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only the violin. And I’m okay, but not great at it. I mostly only play for fun, so I left mine at home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not a problem. Jules!” Luka got his sister’s attention. “Do you still have that fiddle you were fiddling around with a couple of years back?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…” Juleka set down her guitar and disappeared into the hold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really don’t have to,” mumbled Sami, but Marinette could see his eyes shining a little in anticipation. If he only played for fun or to relax, she understood why this was a big deal. New school, away from home- Luka, as always, had seen what Sami needed, and what he needed now was a chance to do something familiar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or, well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mostly</span>
  </em>
  <span> familiar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that- what </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> that?” Sami peered at the Y-shaped, bright green instrument in the case. Marinette thought it looked like nothing so much as a divining rod with strings attached.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anarka, who had come up with Juleka, laughed as she slapped Sami on the back. “Avast, young sailor, it be an </span>
  <em>
    <span>electric</span>
  </em>
  <span> violin. The world’ll be hearin’ ye, make no mistake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sami</span>
  </em>
  <span> seemed to think this might be a mistake, but he pulled the bow out of its case and rosined it before tuning the strings on the not-quite-a-violin. Tucking the two smaller arms of the Y between his shoulder and neck, he tried out some tentative notes on it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette nearly jumped at the sound, which came from the amplifier behind her. It sure sounded like a violin - a really, really LOUD violin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami winced and set the violin down before popping in his earplugs. Thus protected, he moved out of the way of the amplifiers and began a warmup run to fine-tune the strings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To Marinette, even the run sounded pretty good; she couldn’t really hear the difference between the before and after, but Luka’s face relaxed minutely, as if slightly off-key notes had been paining him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami finished his warmup with a folk song, then his eyes flicked left, toward Anarka, and he began to play something wild and rolling, that made Marinette think of tossing waves and a captain at sea. Anarka laughed, and Luka and Juleka hid smiles behind their hands as Ivan began a soft beat behind the music. He segued from that piece to something that might have been classical, but had a melancholy sound to it that made the girls tear up a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The silence when Sami stopped playing was almost as loud as the music had been. Finally Luka spoke. “And you said you weren’t that great. How long have you been playing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami scrunched up his face in thought. “Since I was- twelve? Maybe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette suppressed a gasp, realizing that Sami had said his </span>
  <em>
    <span>actual</span>
  </em>
  <span> age, not the human equivalent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, so just a couple of years then? You’re better than you think.” Rose and the others looked impressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s eyes widened a bit, and he tried to fix his mistake. “I-I mean, I really don’t remember when I started to play, but I learned those pieces when I was twelve. Sorry, I misunderstood…” he pressed his lips together and flushed, looking away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No need to be embarrassed, man.” Luka and Ivan both clapped Sami on the shoulder. “Join us if you want for a bit, but we have to start rehearsal for tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami nodded jerkily, and went over to sit near Marinette and Mylene as Kitty Section huddled for a moment, agreeing on the songs to practice. “Those songs were really good,” said Marinette as he began to detune the violin and put it away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged, dismissing the compliment. “Those are actually the only three I know so well I can play them without the music in front of me. I do better with sheet music to follow; I’m not much of an artist.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty Section launched into their first song before Marinette could dispute that last. The three of them sat through the first three numbers with no words between them, just listening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was during the fourth song, an enthusiastic rendition of </span>
  <em>
    <span>I Love Unicorns</span>
  </em>
  <span>, that Marinette heard a strange sound under the music. Looking over, she saw Sami with his hand over his mouth, red-faced. Suddenly he got up and made for the other end of the houseboat; Marinette followed, her curiosity getting the better of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was bent over the rail. Marinette rushed up. “Sami, are you seasick? I’m sorry, we didn’t think-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned his head toward her, and she realized Sami was </span>
  <em>
    <span>laughing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What-“ she sputtered, confused. “What’s so funny?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” he giggled, “it’s just- </span>
  <em>
    <span>unicorns…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He broke down again, stuffing a knuckle in his mouth in an attempt to muffle his snorts. “I’ll…come back in a minute…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“O-okay…” Enlightened, but still mystified, Marinette wandered back to the group.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next we'll see Sami meet Gabriel Agreste. Nothing can go wrong there...</p><p>This is a hard day for me; September 11th always is. My brother, the one who introduced me to fanfiction back in the ASCII days, passed away from cancer on that day. So this is for him.</p><p>Please let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Agreste Mansion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami meets Gabriel- and Gabriel meets him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for continuing to beta. </p><p>A word to trolls: I believe in moderation in all things.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sami left the houseboat feeling more relaxed than he had since before coming to Paris. Juleka had tried to loan him the violin, saying that he could play it better than she ever could. Sami refused to take it, citing thin walls and being a good houseguest. She only relented when he promised to come back and play on weekends when he could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He thought he could download some sheet music to his tablet, which would make playing a lot easier for him. Having a visual reminder of the notes was better for Sami than memorizing long strings of them, and he knew he had no talent for improv. But it </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> been fun to play again…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He still chuckled at the thought of the unicorn song. If they had ever seen a real unicorn, or a whole drove of them…well, Sami doubted the song would ever be played again. At least, not without a severe change of lyrics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking up as he approached, Sami thought that the Agreste mansion could not have been more like a modern fortress if it tried. Between the forbidding gate with the robot eye straight out of a sci-fi flick, and the sharp, monochrome lines of the place, Sami had a hard time believing that anyone actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>lived</span>
  </em>
  <span> here. Walking through the front doors, Sami had an uncomfortable feeling like that of a wild thing being watched by a snake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He narrowed his eyes against the feeling. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dad is right, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Something is wrong here.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The figure at the top of the stairs only confirmed his feeling, as did the woman to the side. The man was a match for the face in the enormous portrait at the landing of the stairs, so… Adrien’s father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel Agreste. Fashion designer, businessman, and general stick-in-the-mud, if the intel Sami got from Nino was at all accurate. The designer’s reaction to the idea of Adrien being allowed a simple birthday party was mind-blowing to the vampire. Family was everything in his culture, and you just </span>
  <em>
    <span>did not do</span>
  </em>
  <span> that to your family. No matter how much you worried about them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Sami had noticed that Adrien was not a part of this ‘welcoming’ committee. In fact, Nino had warned him this might happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami plastered on as bland a smile as he could manage, and greeted the stiff man at the top of the stairs. “Good afternoon, M. Agreste.” Nino’s warning to never call Adrien’s father ‘dude’ was redundant; it was impossible to think of him as anything but ‘M. Agreste’. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder if even his wife calls him that? Or is it ‘called’? I can’t remember if Adrien ever mentioned his mother…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only response to his greeting was a raised eyebrow; Sami decided to take a risk and </span>
  <em>
    <span>pushed</span>
  </em>
  <span> slightly with his mind as he met M. Agreste’s eyes. There was a tiny bit of resistance, and M. Agreste stiffened even more. Sami stopped projecting instantly; he didn’t so much as blink, hoping if M. Agreste sensed anything, he would dismiss it for lack of evidence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The gray eyes narrowed, and Sami didn’t dare move under that searching gaze. He fought to keep his expression blank. Finally, the man spoke. “I understand you are the student from Orleans. The… </span>
  <em>
    <span>farmboy.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The way he said that, as if being from a farm was somehow </span>
  <em>
    <span>dirty,</span>
  </em>
  <span> made Sami flush with annoyance. As insults went, it was nothing he hadn’t heard before, but it was more repulsive coming from an adult. He breathed through his nose, and replied with a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I heard about your performance at the akuma attack last Monday. An interesting…skill.” The words only pretended to be a compliment; the tone suggested that Sami’s akuma-roping was unimpressive and unworthy of note.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami realized then that M. Agreste was </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying</span>
  </em>
  <span> to make him mad. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, too bad</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He shrugged dismissively, slipping into the formal mode of address he’d learned to use with his mother’s grandfather. “One learns many things on a farm: hard work, responsibility, and how to stay calm in the face of danger, for example.” He kept his tone as neutral as he could. “Not that all danger breathes fire and has horns.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course not.” M. Agreste’s tone this time was dry; he turned to his assistant. “Nathalie, see that Adrien and his </span>
  <em>
    <span>classmate</span>
  </em>
  <span> are finished in two hours. Adrien has a piano lesson after, I believe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes sir.” The woman’s tone was as expressionless as her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will be in my office.” M. Agreste walked down the stairs as Nathalie approached. She led Sami to a door on the next floor and opened it to reveal a large room. “Adrien,” she announced, “your classmate is here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Nathalie,” came a voice from above; Sami watched as Adrien slid down a pole at the other end of the room. Nathalie left, and closed the door behind her. “How was your interview?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good thing Nino warned me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien winced. “Yeah, sorry about that. Pére pulls that on just about everyone from school.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami took a few moments to look around. The room was…huge, and seemed even bigger due to the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was filled with every distraction a boy could want, from arcade games to a rock wall. “How do you get anything </span>
  <em>
    <span>done</span>
  </em>
  <span> in here?” he muttered to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Spend enough time alone, and even the toys get boring,” Adrien replied, strolling over to the computer setup to grab a stack of books.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami flushed, embarrassed. “I didn’t mean for you to hear that…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No problem. I know it’s over the top in here, but…well, Pére has always had issues with me being safe, so he tried to keep me entertained at home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite Adrien’s light tone, Sami could tell there was more to the story than that. But he thought it would be pushy to press for details; they hadn’t been friends that long. Instead, he shifted his backpack to the coffee table. “So, did you have any ideas for the presentation?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t finish in one session, but they did make significant progress. In fact, the only hiccup came when a flock of pigeons flew past in an unnatural formation, an akuma alert chimed on both their phones, and Adrien realized suddenly that he needed a bathroom break. It was just as well, since Sami needed a quick break too, and didn’t want to have to explain what was in his thermal mug to the model.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien was… occupied long enough for Sami to finish his mug and put it back in his backpack. A couple of minutes later (and ten past the time they were supposed to quit), Adrien came out of the bathroom and plopped next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry about that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami waved a hand. “When Nature calls, you go. She gets mean, otherwise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… she can be…” Adrien’s eyes wandered over to the window. If Sami were to try to decipher his expression, it was split between longing and resignation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it safe to assume we’re no longer discussing Nature?” he said drily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien blushed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So who is she? And if you say Lila, I’m leaving right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eurgh, no!” Adrien scowled. “Not that she doesn’t want to be…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I applaud your common sense. So, who </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> make you blush like that? I thought you and Marinette might be together, the way you two act.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The scowl fell off Adrien’s face, leaving a sad expression. “I would love that…and once, she might have too, but… something happened a while back, and she said we couldn’t be more than friends. So we tried to see other people,” he shrugged. “Total train wreck. Add to that, her responsibilities suddenly taking off, and- I want to support her with those, but sometimes- a lot of times- she won’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>let</span>
  </em>
  <span> me. It’s hopeless.” Adrien took a deep breath and let it out slowly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami blinked; that was more of an info-dump than he expected. Clearly, Adrien needed someone to talk to about his love life. He thought of M. Agreste, and squashed that idea flat. “Wow. Does anyone know about this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Other than Marinette? Not really. Our friends have been trying to get us together for so long they wouldn’t understand the problems. And Marinette’s mentor moved away, so we can’t talk to him. And I can’t talk to my dad- for obvious reasons.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yeah, Sami’d already seen the problem with that. “Makes me wish my parents were close. They’re awesome to talk to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien brightened. “That’d be nice-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie opened the door without knocking. “Adrien, your piano teacher is caught in traffic and will be delayed. You should wrap up your meeting and prepare.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Adrien began to gather his notes. “We can work on the paper by video chat over the next few days, but we can get more for the presentation at the Louvre field trip this week. They’re having an exhibit on art from the period.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie frowned. “A field trip may not be wise-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s been on the calendar since the beginning of term. Father approved it then, so long as my bodyguard comes with me. And Ms. Bustier picked a slow-tourist time on purpose, so we won’t be in the crowds.” Adrien sounded like he’d made these points before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before it could get any more awkward, Sami stood with his backpack over his shoulder. “Let me know when you have time to chat; I don’t have anything going on tomorrow. See you Monday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See you then.” Adrien offered Sami a fist, which he bumped, and he headed out the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel tapped his lip as he regarded the painting of Emilie. Nathalie came in and stood behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you think of Adrien’s new classmate?” Gabriel asked the assistant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie considered her words. “Serious. Controlled; he didn’t respond to what you said in any way I could tell.” She frowned, as a niggling thought came to mind. “He looks almost like someone I’ve seen before, but I can’t remember where.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I felt something- odd when I tried to antagonize him. Like wind blowing through my mind…” Gabriel shook his head. “Impossible, of course. Do you have the contracts Mme. Tsurugi acquired for the Japanese expansion?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie was already pulling them up on the tablet. “Yes, and I think you should look over the French translation- some of the wording is vague…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nooroo watched the two of them from hiding. He knew what the new person was- maybe. It was fairly obvious; from the mindtouch attempt, the new classmate of Gabriel’s son had to be a young </span>
  <em>
    <span>kyūketsuki</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Except that was impossible- if he was, how was he walking around in daylight? It made no sense to the poor kwami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Gabriel asked, Nooroo would have to tell him his suspicions. He should anyway, if Adrien was in danger, but…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whole daylight thing. He didn’t know enough, and he could be wrong. Better to stay quiet for now.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Where does this go? You shall see...</p><p>Please leave your thoughts/ opinions/ guesses in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Connections</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami's math skills are on point. Nikolai kind of wishes they weren't.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks belong to Elric-Draconious for continuing to beta this!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Dad? Why are you suspicious of M. Agreste?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai pinched the bridge of his nose. And the conversation had been going so well up to this point. He had smiled at Sami’s tale of the electric violin, laughed with him about the absurd unicorn song, and shaken his head at the crazy description of the Agreste mansion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But his son was sharp, and he should’ve seen this coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s…complicated, Sami,” he began. “But the bare bones of it are that I had the opportunity to overhear a conversation between M. Agreste and his assistant.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami blinked, brows drawing together. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“When was that?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The last time I was in Paris. Remember the rogue?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Adrien was in the hospital; he was involved in that incident too. M. Agreste was video-chatting him, saying some pretty horrible things. When he- or his assistant- left in a huff, I followed and listened in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s face showed his concentration on what Nikolai was saying, but he didn’t interrupt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They talked about akumatizing Marinette. I didn’t know that the word had anything to do with Hawkmoth then, but Detective Guerin clued me in when I told him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Why didn’t you just ask Ladybug or Cat Noir? Or Master Fu?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A fair question, Nikolai supposed, and in hindsight it would have been the better choice. “Both of the heroes were injured and recovering from the battle; I thought they didn’t need any more problems- especially since I was unaware that it was even related to Hawkmoth. As for Fu- I didn’t get the chance before he left Paris, though I left messages for him to contact me. I gather those messages fell through when he had to run.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami nodded, but remained silent, staring at the floor. Finally, he spoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So you think M. Agreste has something to do with Hawkmoth. Or maybe even is him.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Essentially. But I have no real proof. Guerin is looking into it; I just wanted to know if you could find out anything without putting yourself in danger.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And Adrien is Cat Noir.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blunt statement startled Nikolai. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami rolled his eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You only told me about Ladybug and Cat Noir when you talked about Varujan. You never mentioned anyone else caught in his attack- certainly not Adrien. And he was hurt so badly in it that he ended up in the hospital? You told me before how bad Cat Noir and Ladybug were hurt; I’m not stupid, Dad!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai grimaced. Yeah, his boy was a sharp one, all right; that last remark really cut him. He realized now that he had sent Sami in with too little information- dangerous information that could have backfired hard on his son. “Sami, I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami paused, thinking. Finally, he sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s- not okay, but I kind of understand. Can I be mad about it for a while?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d be surprised if you weren’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami jerked his head in an acknowledging nod. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“And that would make Marinette Ladybug, if what I found out is true.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai listened silently to what Adrien had told Sami about their relationship. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“But back to M. Agreste. I did sense something when I tried to push at his mind. And the way he reacted- like he could feel it- it would be an explanation.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai steepled his fingers on the tabletop. “I think we may need to bring the heroes in on this, even if I don’t have proof yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, it’s not like I can call them and say, ‘hey, I figured you guys out, and by the way, Adrien, your dad’s probably the magical terrorist attacking Paris!’ That’d be a barn fire.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably. But I should be the one to tell them that second part. I screwed up by not telling them in the first place; you shouldn’t have to get in the crossfire for that. If you can find a way to tell them the first part, and that I want to talk to them, that should be enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His son blew out a breath. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“So long as you don’t have to talk to them tonight, I can manage it. I think.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sami then scowled, and pointed a finger at his father. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“And no more hiding things I might need to know!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai sighed. “I’ll do my best, Sami. But I can’t always tell what that is, when you’re my son and I want to both keep you safe and not break promises of secrecy. Fu was always a stickler for the ‘need-to-know’ rule when it came to the Miraculous; I think I just followed his lead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami did his dead-on impression of Nikolai’s father in the year before he died, pretending to adjust spectacles and fixing his father with narrow eyes and pursed lips. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“See that you do better, then,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said in a quavery voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Nikolai’s turn to roll his eyes. “Yes, Papa.” With a grin from Sami, he signed off for the night.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, how will the heroes handle knowing that Sami knows?</p><p>This was a bit of a short chapter, but we're heading into some meatier stuff. Stay with me. :)</p><p>Please let me know what you think in the comments! I love hearing from you!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Trips and Admissions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami tells Adrien what he's discovered.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for beta work!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Much to Sami’s dismay, telling the heroes that he’d figured them out was harder than it looked. An all-day akuma blowing up downtown Paris meant that Adrien was incommunicado for all of Sunday; he shot a text to Sami apologizing for missing their chat session, and asking if they could touch base on Monday.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Monday, however, had a last-minute photoshoot, which kept Adrien out until after lunch, and Marinette was a whirlwind too fast to catch- barreling into class barely on time, vanishing as soon as the bell rang for breaks or lunch or the end of the day. The only person able to slow her down for a second was Alya- and this wasn’t something someone who reported on Ladybug should hear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the end of Tuesday, Sami’s frustration was rising to new levels. Between Lila’s voice just being an irritant, and having to sit on this secret, he felt like a too-taut violin string, ready to snap. It was harder than ever to not influence his classmates with his mind (although he was seriously tempted to break ethics with Lila, if it meant he could convince her to be quiet), and he took to wearing dark sunglasses during breaks so that he wouldn’t accidentally meet people’s eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wednesday morning was the field trip to the Louvre, and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is the </span>
  <em>
    <span>least-busy</span>
  </em>
  <span> time??” Sami hissed though his teeth at his classmate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alix shrugged. “Surprisingly, yes. Mondays are worse, Tuesdays it’s closed, and Wednesday night is one of the nights it’s open late, so people don’t come too early in the morning. It’ll still be crowded, but mostly around the really famous stuff, so the smaller exhibits will be easier to see.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was still a lot more people than Sami was used to being around; he had to appreciate Ms. Bustier’s savvy in getting the class in through one of the employee entrances (via Alix’s father; the price was a short impromptu tour of the latest exhibit he was pulling together of medieval church art- useless for the class, but still interesting). After reminding the class of their assignments, telling them to stay with their partners, and giving them instructions on where to meet for lunch, Ms. Bustier let them go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami turned to Adrien, only to find a leech hanging off his classmate’s arm. “Um, Lila,” Adrien was saying, “shouldn’t you be going with Mylene? She </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> your partner for the assignment…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Mylene said she’d take the notes I needed- with my wrist being so bad and all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami pinched his nose; he’d heard that excuse before. The low-key strident tone of Lila’s voice was unbearable. “Lila, why do you hang onto Adrien? You’re making him uncomfortable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw the flash in Lila’s eyes before she put on a fake smile. “I’m just doing what friends do in Italy, and Adrien is my friend-“ Sami saw Adrien wince and tug at his arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we’re in France, so stop.” Sami had had enough of Lila’s excuses. “You don’t get to touch people when they don’t want you to, no matter how good a ‘friend’ they are. What are you, some kind of stalker?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the crocodile tears began. “Adrien, Sami’s being mean to me-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three of them turned to see Marinette and Nino behind them. “Let him go, Lila.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It figures you’d back him up, Marinette. After all the times you bullied me-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami put all the force he could into his voice. “Marinette never touched you. You’re not Adrien’s friend. You’ve lied since the day I came to school; I can hear it in your voice. Go. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien prised Lila’s hand off his arm and went to stand by Marinette, putting a hand on her shoulder, as Sami laid down the law. Lila stared at Sami, a shocked look rapidly turning to anger. “This isn’t over,” she snarled, then turned and half-ran away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette sighed; Adrien rubbed his arm as the Gorilla approached the group. “What are the odds that she’ll be today’s akuma?” she muttered under her breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien answered just as softly. “No bet, princess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re probably right. Watch your back, Sami.” Marinette turned to Nino, who was quietly fiddling with his phone a few feet away; Sami had almost forgotten he was there. “Did you get it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Most of it. I was so shocked you were right about Lila grabbing Adrien, dudette, that I missed the beginning.” Nino glanced sheepishly at Adrien. “Sorry, dude. I didn’t know Lila was being so handsy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Gorilla had Adrien’s wrist, and was looking over his arm. “It’s okay, Nino; you know now. Besides, I kind of asked for it, when she framed Marinette and I made a deal for her to fix it in return for being her friend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Sami heard a double echo of his exclamation from Marinette and Nino.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t have to do that-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought it was the only way-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Dudes!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nino interrupted what looked like a long conversation between the two. “I get it, and we can talk about it </span>
  <em>
    <span>later</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We still have an assignment to do, and I wanna pass this class.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same,” said Sami. The Gorilla finished examining Adrien’s arm, a scowl on his face. “I don’t know about you, Adrien, but I’ve had plenty of Lila for the day.” He looked up at the Gorilla. “Would you be so kind, sir, as to keep her away from us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A short nod from the bodyguard, and finally Adrien and Sami headed off to the exhibit of art from World War II. Rather than being artwork from the period, the exhibit contained paintings and other artwork that had been confiscated by the Nazis, and was recovered later. According to the plaques, some of the paintings had been returned to their owners (or the estates of their owners), and were being lent to the museum; others had never been claimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A lot of people were deported to Germany then,” Adrien remarked, reading from one of the plaques. “Not just for concentration camps, but for forced labor to support the German war effort.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know. My grandfather was one of them,” Sami remarked absently as he studied an unclaimed painting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien jerked slightly. “Your </span>
  <em>
    <span>grandfather?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he said cautiously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami realized he’d let his real age slip again- but this was Adrien, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cat Noir, </span>
  </em>
  <span>who knew what he really was. And for once, there was no one around; the Gorilla was at the other end of the hall, looking around, and there was no one else in the room. He lowered his voice. “Yes, my grandfather. Don’t pretend you don’t know how old I am- Cat Noir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien stiffened and glanced around the room. “Did your dad tell you?” he asked through gritted teeth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, he let something slip, and I put it together.” Sami moved on to the next painting, acting calm even as his insides quaked. He could hear the veiled anger in Adrien’s voice. “He wants to talk to the two of you, when you can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The model growled and moved on too. “And Ladybug? Do you-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes; it wasn’t that hard to guess after you. But the only reason I know is because I put together bits that only Dad knows, plus the stuff you told me; no one else could guess without knowing the whole story behind Varujan </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> the other stuff. Your secrets are safe with us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They were supposed to be safe with Nikolai,” Adrien bit back, which was fair, in Sami’s opinion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “And so’s Dad. But that’s why he wants to talk to you both.” Sami thought that over. “Well, one reason, anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien blew a breath through his nose, slowly. “Fine. I’ll tell Marinette. After that, we’ll see.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had reached the end of the gallery; as they left to head for the lunchtime meeting place, Sami was watching for Lila and watching Adrien’s emotions play out across his face. As a result, he wasn’t watching where he was going in the increasing traffic of the museum. He blundered right into a group of girls about Adrien’s age; one caught him before he tripped and faceplanted on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Careful!” said the girl in English, in an American accent. Sami looked up-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-into eyes somewhere between blue and brown, surrounded by freckles and light brown hair done in a braid. But what really made his tongue forget how to speak was what he sensed. This girl- she was projecting the same mental ‘don’t notice my differences’ telepathic vibe that </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> did- and she had picked up on his projection as well, if the adorably truck-struck look on her face was any clue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thought ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>there are no other vampires in Paris’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>crossed his mind, but didn’t stay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could feel as if from a distance, the arm Adrien slung over his shoulder; he could vaguely hear the chatter between his classmate and the girl’s friends, but he honestly couldn’t have followed the conversation. Twice he tried to say something but couldn’t remember the words for the concept. Everything in him was focused on this girl- someone he’d never met before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally a sharp elbow to the ribs woke him out of his trance. Adrien was tugging him away, and the girls were pulling their friend along to another gallery. Sami’s eyes followed the group until they turned a corner; he suddenly remembered how to breathe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien had an insufferable smirk on his face; apparently he’d forgotten all about Sami’s earlier confession. He opened his mouth-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t. Say it.” Sami warned. Now that </span>
  <em>
    <span>she</span>
  </em>
  <span> was gone- oh, now Sami realized the trouble he was in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The model blinked innocently. “Don’t say what? Her name? What she’s doing in Paris?” The smirk was back. “Her </span>
  <em>
    <span>email address</span>
  </em>
  <span>? I got all that from her friends, while you two zombies were staring at each other.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No such thing,” Sami grumbled, staring at his feet. “Besides, there are no other,” he looked around at the people quickly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“people like me</span>
  </em>
  <span> in Paris.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe not living here, but a visitor from America? It could happen.” Adrien was not going to let this go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“America?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien steered Sami toward the inside seating area the class was using for lunch. “Yes, America. Her father’s family is distantly related to a family in Liverpool; her cousins are helping her and her friends tour Europe. They arrived on the Eurostar two days ago; they leave for Brussels the day after tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You picked up a lot in a couple of minutes,” Sami groused. His face burned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A couple? Try ten. The only reason I didn’t find out more was because we were going to be late for lunch.” Adrien waved a folded piece of paper at the young vampire, the smirk still in place. “Fortunately, her friends were all for Candace ‘finally falling for someone- and a hot French guy to boot!’ as they put it. They gave me everything you need.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami glanced around. None of his classmates were too close yet. “It’s… not like that. I can’t explain right now, but… it’s different for us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, does that mean you don’t need the email?” Adrien moved towards a nearby trash can. “Because if you don’t want it-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span> Sami caught up in two steps and snatched the paper out of his hand, face flaming</span>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And secrets begin to come to light. What will happen next?</p><p>Please tell me what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Lies and Confessions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lila tries to discredit Sami. Nikolai shares what he knows.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta work!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Lila didn’t know what she was going to do to Sami, but it was going to be horrible. How dare that farmboy block her from Adrien and blow her off! Worse yet, he had called her a liar!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila didn’t lie. She didn’t. She just said what people wanted her to say. If what they wanted wasn’t true, then that wasn’t her fault; it was theirs for wanting to hear it. People were so demanding, always wanting to hear some fantastic story or feel-good fiction, probably to make them feel better about their dull little lives.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(That Lila herself led a dull little life was an ugly truth she kept carefully hidden, even from herself. After all, she wanted to hear great things, too.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, that oaf of a bodyguard was all too close to Adrien and Sami as they wandered the galleries. He gave her a glare that said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>keep away; you’ve done enough.</span>
  </em>
  <span> As if she’d actually done anything- Sami just attacked her out of nowhere!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila didn’t understand. First Marinette, then Adrien, and now Sami. Why weren’t these fools like all the others? Why didn’t they hang on her stories, help her when she wanted help, do what she wanted them to? Why did they resist, even when she told them what they wanted to hear? It wouldn’t hurt them to at least pretend to like her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(And what was wrong with her voice? No one had said anything like that before!)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Keeping her distance didn’t prevent Lila from seeing something potentially useful, though. That tourist Sami had run into- now there was an opportunity to get back at the farmboy. She saw Adrien get contact details from the friend-horde while Sami and that girl stared stupidly at each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clearly, Sami was smitten. And Lila could make sure that the girl would never accept a call or email from the boy. All it would take would be a few tears and a warning…it wouldn’t even be hard. And neither Sami nor Adrien would know what went wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The announcement of an akuma outside was the perfect opportunity. Lila got near the group of friends; she had to duck out of sight of her class, but this was more important. Besides, Adrien and Marinette were sneaking off too, probably to plot further against her. Best to get her revenge now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila sidled close to the group. English, crap, they were speaking English. Lila’s English was pretty bad, but maybe that could work to her advantage. Wouldn’t they want to believe someone who struggled with their language just to give them a warning?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, good, the one she wanted to convince was translating the announcement for her friends. At least </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> American wasn’t monolingual; she could stick to French. Lila worked up her face into a worried expression and approached the girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me, mademoiselle,” she said softly, hunching her shoulders as if afraid of her reception. “But I saw you earlier with Sami, and…and I had to warn you.” She wrung her hands- a nice touch, she thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl turned her hazel eyes on Lila. For a second, she thought she felt something like a breeze through her head, but she shook it off. “Warn me? About what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sami-” Lila caught her breath as if trying not to cry. “He’s in my class, and he was my boyfriend for months, but…he hurt me, and he did it so no one could see. No one believed me, not even Adrien…I had to get a restraining order…but I had to tell you. I could see that he likes you, and he’d hurt you too…I just don’t want him to hurt anyone else…” She hid her face in her palms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That… wasn’t the response Lila expected. It sounded flat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Disbelieving.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please, for your sake, please believe me!” Lila risked a quick look over her fingers before hiding her face again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen, whoever you are-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Lila.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Lie-la.” Rude, how the girl was twisting her name into an insult! “Let me tell you something. That boy was never your boyfriend. Adrien said he’d only come to Paris less than two weeks ago. And he wouldn’t like your screechy lying voice any more than I do. Seriously, find something better to do with your time than annoying a stranger.” With that, she gathered up her confused friends and marched toward the guard directing traffic away from the main entrance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila stood there, dumbstruck. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What just happened?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she didn’t have a chance to wonder about it; Ms. Bustier found her and gave her a talking-to about staying with the group. A quick explanation that she was trying to find Marinette mollified the teacher, and Lila came back to where the class was sheltering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right then a flash of pink light outside the only window proved that Ladybug and Cat Noir had beaten the akuma again. Lila was sorry to have missed it; she could have helped, but a blow against Sami had been more important.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Speaking of, there he was, with Adrien’s bodyguard, and she glared at Sami before she caught a strange look on Rose’s face and morphed her expression into a smile. Rose relaxed, and turned to Ms. Bustier, just as Marinette and Adrien ran to the group from different directions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the class was gathered up to return to the school, Lila seethed quietly. She’d never failed to convince someone before of another’s ‘bad intentions’. Why had she failed now?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was so special about Sami, anyway? He was just a farmboy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Sami texted Adrien when his dad called, shot another one to Detective Guerin saying that the heroes would be stopping by, and then fell face-first into his pillow on the bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Dramatic much, son? What happened?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever Sami mumbled into his pillow was incomprehensible, which was just as well. Cat Noir knocked on the window, and Sami got up to let him in; before he could close it, Ladybug swung in as well. The two of them must have been waiting for Sami’s text.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cat Noir filled me in,” Ladybug said with a frown at the young vampire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami sighed. “I didn’t mean to figure it out. It just happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s true, and I’m afraid it’s my fault.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai caught the heroine’s attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So. How?” Ladybug crossed her arms, and Cat Noir settled on the edge of the bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It has to do with the aftermath of what happened with Varujan. As you know, I came to visit the two of you in the hospital, and while I was there I heard something very concerning…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir was finding breathing difficult. Sure, Ladybug had suspected his father before, but-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug beat him to it; sometimes, he and his lady thought alike. “What about the Collector, though? How could he akumatize himself?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t want to say it, but he had to. “Bug, how was he able to akumatize dozens of people at once on Hero’s Day? Is akumatizing himself a stretch?” Cat Noir’s voice wavered as he tried to hold in the emotional storm. “I- can’t say he wouldn’t. I just wish I knew why-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Immediately Ladybug had Cat Noir in a tight hug. “It’ll be okay, kitty. Now that we know what to look for, getting proof shouldn’t be difficult. Maybe, once we do- maybe we can figure out a way to stop him without hurting him; maybe we can just steal his Miraculous when he’s asleep, or- or something-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.” Cat Noir kept his gaze firmly fixed on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You- you don’t have to go back there if you don’t want,” said Ladybug. Sami looked uncomfortable in the corner of his bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Th-that won’t work,” Cat noir stated shakily. “H-he’ll just hunt for me…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A fluttering noise near the open window had Ladybug whipping out her yoyo and sending it after the black butterfly that had appeared. She looked terrified as she glanced back at Cat Noir.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir was trying to hold back the storm of emotion threatening to overtake him, but he could feel his control slipping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug bit her lip. “I need to go back to my house for a minute. Kitty-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can hold it together, Ladybug. Just- don’t be long, okay?” Cat Noir’s hands were shaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sami, Nikolai, can you distract him? It should help,” she asked the others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We’ll try, Ladybug.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai promised from the screen. The image on the tablet regarded the young hero with an unreadable look. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Cat Noir- I wish I was there to help.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir nodded, not trusting his voice or emotions right now. He tried to think of something to talk about- something that </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> about his dad being a supervillain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath. “Sami met someone today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami groaned, and grabbed the pillow to hide his beet-red face. Nikolai raised an eyebrow. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I take it this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill encounter. What happened?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was easier to tell Nikolai of Sami’s near-tripping into Candace, the American tourist girl who apparently just happened to be a vampire too, than thinking about his father. Cat Noir clamped down on those thoughts, hard, as he explained the chance meeting between Candace and Sami. The tale was punctuated by groans of embarrassment from the vampire in question, coming from behind the pillow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Halfway through the story, Sami’s mother joined Nikolai on the screen of the tablet. She listened quietly as the hero described how the two had stared at each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai pursed his lips. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Well. That was totally unexpected and completely normal at the same time. I’ll have to get her email and ask to contact her family, but if she was walking in daylight, she has to have some of our values. This could be good, Sami.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s only response was another groan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sami said it wasn’t like- like it would be with humans. What did he mean?” He really wanted to know, but if it was embarrassing Sami this much…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s because of how we are. Because we can use telepathy on our-“ </span>
  </em>
  <span>he seemed to be searching for a good word, and finally gave up, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“’prey’, we can also sense each other’s minds. And that’s something that triggers around puberty- about age twenty-five to thirty. We actually bond mentally with our chosen mates.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He gave his wife’s hand a squeeze, and she smiled at him.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “The trouble is, until we make that bond, any unattached vampires who make eye contact will automatically be drawn to each other- the more powerful the telepathy, the more powerful the draw.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir glanced at Sami, who had yet to look up from his pillow. “So- Sami and Candace are bonded now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh no, they would have to be together longer for a permanent bond to form,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>said Katrin, speaking up for the first time. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“But the longer they stay within eyesight of each other- because eye contact is necessary for our telepathy to work- the deeper the bond. However, there’s no love element to it, just animal magnetism. It’s possible to form a bond with someone you shouldn’t- even a toxic mind like the rogue you fought would be fully capable of bonding with any other unbonded vampire.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir digested the implications of that. “So, if you bonded with someone like, say, Lila-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A gagging noise came from the pillow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s possible. There have been some horrendous bonds in the past; it gave rise to rumors of vampire ‘nests’, as one vampire mentally dominated another.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai shrugged. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>When I was his age, most children of an age to bond were sent to other like-minded families in hopes they would find a mate they could love, and wrote letters instead of meeting face-to-face until they were of age. I honestly hadn’t expected Sami to meet a vampire, much less one his age, in Paris.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because,” came a voice from the door, as Detective Guerin entered the room, “the Nazis killed the only vampire family living around here back in World War II. They’re all long dead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“All but one,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>corrected Nikolai, his voice somber. There was a pain in his eyes that called to the pain in Cat Noir’s heart; he felt his eyes tearing up again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got it!” Ladybug huffed, as she swung back in through the window. “Kitty, I hate to do this, but you’re safer outside the city right now; I caught another butterfly on its way here-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded, beginning to shake; this was a plan she’d shared with him right after whatever scared her off being his girlfriend. To prevent an akuma from getting to either of them, the other would get the Horse Miraculous and create a portal out of the city. “Where?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glanced at the tablet. “Nikolai, can we come to you for a little while? Orleans is more than far enough, and we’ll leave when it’s safe…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai nodded, as Katrin looked at her husband in confusion. He turned the angle of the tablet to show an ordinary family room. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s the least I can do, after springing that bombshell. I assume you’re using a Miraculous? You don’t look like your normal self.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Ladybug answered, as Cat Noir noticed for the first time that her spots had gone brown and her hair taken on white-blond streaks, with a brown leather belt circling her middle. Sami looked up from the pillow for the first time, watching with interest. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Voyage!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A circular portal formed in the air, showing the sitting room from the tablet on the other side. Cat Noir wasted no time diving through it; he thought he heard the ominous flapping of another set of butterfly wings as the portal closed behind him and Ladybug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, he was safe. Safe from becoming an akuma, safe to process what he’d heard, safe to cry. He shook as he tried to come to grips with what he’d learned, as voices murmured in the background.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A pair of arms circled his shoulders, and Cat Noir leaned into his Lady’s embrace. Someone cleared her throat; he looked up through the tears to see Katrin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure your mother would be proud of you. No son should have to have a father who treats him like that,” she said. And perhaps he shouldn’t trust Nikolai or his family, but- for the first time in a long time, Cat Noir felt safe.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next, we'll have a small break before checking back in.</p><p>Thoughts/ comments/ opinions are welcome- please put them in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Correspondence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami emails the girl he met- and she has some information for him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for continuing to beta.</p><p>Sorry this got out a little late today; personal life crept in when I wasn't looking.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sami saw the yoyo flick out to catch one last butterfly just before the portal snapped shut, and let out a sigh. “That- was too close.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No kidding. Mind explaining?” the detective asked, in a way that said he wasn’t really </span>
  <em>
    <span>asking</span>
  </em>
  <span> so much as </span>
  <em>
    <span>demanding</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami sighed. “Cat Noir was upset by some awful news he got today; he was trying to talk to Dad about it, but a butterfly came for him, and Ladybug figured it was better to get him out of town until he calms down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The detective squinted at Sami. “Uh-</span>
  <em>
    <span>huh.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Sami stared back blandly. “Well, fine, I guess. So long as this room doesn’t become a magical metró station-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It won’t. They’ll probably just go home from Dad’s. Wherever ‘home’ happens to be.” Sami looked at the tablet; he could hear muffled sobs in the background, and his mother had moved out of the frame. His dad was still there, although his attention was on something off-camera.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He cleared his throat. “Dad?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes, Sami?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai looked back at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- think I’m going to email this girl tonight. I’d,” he swallowed, and realized he hadn’t eaten yet. He grabbed a vial of goat’s blood out of his mini-fridge, and downed the contents; that would hold him until he could make a sandwich or something. “I’d like you to see it first, so I don’t make a fool of myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai smiled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t, but if it makes you feel better about it I will.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami grimaced. “Right now the only thing that would make me feel better is if she actually replies. In a nice way, of course.” He opened his email app on the tablet, sharing his screen so that his father could look at it too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Might as well get advice before I finish…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami began to type.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Candace! You’ve been hanging on your laptop all evening! He’s not going to write any faster if you stare at it!” Lyssa elbowed her sharply; Candace laughed, embarrassed, as she shoved her friend back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that, Lyssa! But- I never thought I’d meet a guy outside the States- in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Louvre</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of all places! I’m a little-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In love?” came the sly smirk from the other bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Candace gave her best friend a flat stare. “You know it’s not like that. For me, anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lyssa nodded, although she still looked amused. Lyssa was human; her family and Candace’s had been neighbors and friends in Michigan for generations. Sometimes Candace wished she could turn her best friend into a vampire, like the ridiculous stories in fiction books. But it was not possible; Candace may have seen Lyssa born, but soon she would grow up, faster than Candace, and then- well, they wouldn’t be close anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which was one reason why Candace had invited her along on this trip; the other (and this was with Lyssa’s full knowledge and approval; Candace had never used her telepathy on her friend) was in case Candace’s blood-supply contacts fell through. Lyssa had volunteered to give Candace what she needed until another supply could be found.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Candace hoped she wouldn’t have to, and so far she hadn’t. She’d rather chase rats and eat pigeons than hurt Lyssa. (Or Sierra or April, but they didn’t know what she was. Lyssa did, and that- well, that kind of trust was hard to find; Candace was not going to abuse it.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> She turned her thoughts back to the handsome young vampire she had met today. “What did you and Sierra learn about him, anyway? You talked to his friend for a while…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And how- HOW, I ask you- did a vampire become friends with THE Adrien Agreste, I’d like to know?” Lyssa waved the magazine she’d bought at Candace as if it meant something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who?” Candace was drawing a blank. Was the name of Sami’s friend important?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lyssa rolled her eyes, and spread the magazine on the bed. A clothing advertisement took up both pages, and the blond model did look something like the other boy they’d seen. “The son of Gabriel Agreste, fashion designer? Model, voice actor… single?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“…I honestly didn’t notice him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pfft. I bet you didn’t. You had eyes only for Sami.” Lyssa picked up her magazine, and curled up at the head of her bed. “Good thing for you I wasn’t star-struck, unlike Sierra and April. I was cool, I was calm, and I-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-gave out my email address to a total stranger.” Candace shook her head. “He’d better email me, just so I know your blond model isn’t a creep. And why didn’t you get Sami’s email?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because the ‘blond model’ didn’t know it. He only had Sami’s phone number. Which does you absolutely no good, since you forgot to upgrade your cell phone service plan before leaving home.” Lyssa waved a small piece of paper. “But I got it anyway,” she sing-songed, and flicked the paper to Candace, who stuffed it in her purse as her face burned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lyssa went back to her magazine, puzzling the French out slowly. Candace turned to her laptop. It might have been a pain to bring it, but its wifi connection was all she needed, and she wasn’t risking her tablet on a month-long trip even if it was more functional. Having it would be worth it, if Sami emailed her; maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe a chance encounter at a museum wasn’t enough for him to consider contacting her, maybe she shouldn’t get her hopes up, maybe-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mail app pinged. The new email’s subject line was “</span>
  <em>
    <span>We met at the Louvre”. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Candace nearly fell off the bed when she tried to open the email.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wouldn’t have bothered her if the email was in French, as she was fully fluent. But the email was sent in English, and Candace didn’t know whether to be grateful or offended. She chose to be grateful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hello- I’m told your name is Candace. My name is Sami Vercher, and we ran into each other today at the Louvre. I’d like to get to know you a little bit better, since I couldn’t say anything before.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I was born and raised on a dairy farm in Orleans, south of Paris. My family owns and runs the farm; most of our milk goes toward commercial cheese production, but we also make fairly popular artisan cheeses as well. We have cows and goats, some chickens and cats, and an old dog who no longer chases the bull.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Our family is my parents, my little brother and sisters (with another sibling coming soon!), a few farmhands like us, and me. I came to Paris to go to school here for a term; it’s been harder than I thought, but most of my classmates are good people.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Anyway, I would like to hear back from you. I also attached my parents’ email address; my parents would like to talk to yours. Do you think you could pass that on?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I hope we can become friends, at least. It was really nice bumping into you today.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sami</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Candace read through the message twice, before saving the details and attaching the file to her nightly parental check-in email.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dear Mom and Dad- I met someone today while at the Louvre. He’s my age, and like us, and he seems really nice. Lyssa, Sierra and April gave his friend my email, and he sent me his parents’ contacts, so I’m passing them on as requested.(By the way, Mom, you weren’t kidding when you told me how it felt to meet the eyes of someone unbonded. I couldn’t even talk! My friends had a field day with that- I was so embarrassed after!) Anyway, we were near an akuma attack, but the Ladybug and Black Cat never came close to me, so I’m safe. And the day after tomorrow we leave for Brussels, so I’m surviving Paris’ dangers. Talk to you tomorrow!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Candace stared at her screen, after hitting ‘send’. Would it be too much to email Sami back right away? She groaned, rubbing her face with her hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lyssa looked up from her magazine. “What’s wrong? Hasn’t he emailed yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She threw Lyssa a pleading look. “No, he did. I just don’t know if I should email him back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Lyssa bolted upright. “What are you, crazy? Email him back! Email him back right now, dork!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Candace thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that was a stronger response than I was expecting…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”But-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lyssa didn’t let her finish; she pointed a finger in Candace’s face. “If you don’t email him back this minute,” she said dangerously, “I am marching next door and telling Sierra and April. And you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> what they’ll do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine! Fine, just- give me a minute.” She put her fingers on the keys, and began to type.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Re: We met at the Louvre</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hello Sami-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you for the contact info. I’m sure my parents will contact yours soon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So, some things about me- my name is Candace Atherton. I grew up on a farm, too- my family raises beef cattle, and my Mom keeps some alpacas for wool (and other reasons, of course!). I have three brothers; two older, one younger, but no sisters.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My friends and I are touring Europe as kind of a treat. Normally we wouldn’t come during the school year, but it was easier on our budgets, and our teachers gave us assignments for this. The four of us raised animals for sale just so we could do this; our parents agreed to match any funds we raised, so we were pretty motivated. Sierra and April don’t know what I am; Lyssa does, because our families have been friends for decades.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It must be tough adjusting to a new school away from home; I’m glad most of your classmates are nice. The one I met wasn’t, though. A girl named Lila came up to me during the akuma attack; she said she was your ex-girlfriend and tried to tell me horrible things about you, but her voice gave her away. Having a lorelei for a classmate must be hard on your ears, even if she wasn’t lying her head off.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Speaking of the akuma attack, how do you stay calm in a city that has both the Black Cat and the Ladybug? I’d freak out if I ever saw them in person!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I would like to be friends too if you want. Maybe we can write more!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Candace</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What did Candace say? Could that be important? What about her friends?</p><p> </p><p>Please leave thoughts/ comments below!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Past and Future</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nikolai tells how he met Master Fu. Ladybug tells of a possible future.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for beta work!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ladybug sat on the floor, stroking Cat Noir’s hair. He was asleep against her shoulder, too worn out by the storm of emotion to even let go of his transformation first. She had released Kaalki’s part of her own transformation, and given the little horse kwami some dried apple slices from a bag she pulled out of her yoyo before putting the Miraculous away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After that first statement, Katrin and the rest of the family left them alone, going about all the chores that fall at the end of the day and ignoring the two superheroes in the corner of the room as much as they could. Ladybug idly wondered about Katrin. Sami had said that his mother was going to give birth soon, and she looked like it. Did they know if the baby was a boy or a girl? What did people do to prepare for a vampire baby? Ladybug wanted to ask but felt it would be rude. The Verchers were giving them space away from akumas for a short time, and that would have to be enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After about an hour, Nikolai came over and sat in a chair across from them. He regarded the pair sadly before saying, “I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” said Ladybug. “And while it wasn’t okay to not let us know your suspicions right away, I understand why. Have you found any proof yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Sami sensed something odd about him, but nothing concrete. The police, at Detective Guerin’s suggestion, are using roof-mounted cameras to track where akumas are coming from, but the circle is still too wide. It may be some time before we find anything- </span>
  <em>
    <span>if</span>
  </em>
  <span> we find anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug sighed deeply. “Is it wrong of me to hope that we don’t find anything?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai winced. “No- but I wouldn’t bet on that.” He shifted his gaze to the ceiling. “May I ask something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead, but I don’t promise an answer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You and Cat Noir- you love each other; I know you do. But Sami said Adrien told him you couldn’t be more than friends. Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug bit her lip, and her arms tightened around her partner; after catching so many akumas bent on going after Cat Noir, she was still shaking at how close she had come to seeing her worst nightmare. “There’s a Miraculous that allows travel in time. Cat Noir doesn’t know this, but- the holder of that Miraculous came and got me, and showed me a future Cat Noir that had been akumatized into Cat Blanc.” Her eyes blurred with tears. “He was so sad and alone- he’d destroyed the whole world somehow, Paris was an ocean, everyone was dead, even Hawkmoth. He- he told me that our love had done that to the world.” She shook her head to clear the tears. “I- I erased that timeline, but the price is our love. I do love him, but it can’t be more. Not with the world at stake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai nodded gravely. “I can see why you’d back off, then. However, things can change; you proved that, and I hope you’ll be open to that change and not let fear stop you forever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug let out a breath. “Right now- I don’t know. We’ve lost so much, so quickly- so far, it hasn’t blown up in our faces, but I always have the feeling that it might. This is just the beginning of it, actually.” She whispered the next part. “I wish- I wish Master Fu was around to talk to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was a good listener,” Nikolai said with a smile. “Although he was a bit headstrong in his own ideas, sometimes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Curiosity piqued, Ladybug asked, “How did you and Master Fu meet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a long story…” Nikolai was no more proof against Ladybug’s ‘begging’ eyes than Cat Noir was. “All right, but it was a long time ago; I was barely a toddler by the time the war was over. It was really my father who became his friend first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The war?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai nodded. “World War II, to be precise. I was born in early 1940, and my family- my grandfather, aunts, uncles, and their children as well as my parents and my older sisters- lived just outside Paris. My family was one of the first to adopt the use of animal blood a few generations before; my father and uncles worked on our family farm until the Nazis overran Paris, then they worked in slaughterhouses so that they could feed our family with the blood from the meat animals.” His lip twisted. “And the occasional incautious enemy soldier, when we had to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug remembered that even Nikolai’s family required human blood once in a while, to stay healthy. Honestly, she couldn’t blame his family for doing what they had to to survive in a war, but- it was still a chilling reminder of her time with Varujan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fu was trying to escape Paris with the Miraculous, but he couldn’t get past the Nazi troops. Someone with far too much knowledge of the Miraculous was in charge of finding him, and they had carefully briefed the soldiers on what to look for. He couldn’t leave; his only hope was for someone to hide him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My family, though we never fought the invaders, did hide a few people from them. My father was the one who found Fu and guided him to our chateau. Once he discovered what we were, he tried to destroy us at first, but Father managed to convince him that we weren’t entirely what he thought. He didn’t trust us much then, though- that came later. We kept him hidden and cared for him for months- until the soldiers came to take our home from us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai shifted a little in his seat. “Father thought that they suspected us of hiding Maquis- French counter-Nazi fighters who were avoiding the work drafts. Ultimately, for my family it didn’t matter why they came. They took the entire family- women, children, my uncles and grandfather- outside, and killed them all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug gasped. “But- your healing- couldn’t they-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “They were beheaded- all but my oldest sister. She was thirty-five when she was taken away; we found out after the war that she had succumbed to blood fever before being shot to death by a machine gun. At least she managed to strike a blow to her captors before she died.” Nikolai took a deep breath. “The only ones left were my father and me- and only because my father had brought me into the woods with him, to take Fu to a new hiding place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My father was devastated; he had seen the troops at the house and a couple of bodies in the yard, and ran back to Fu, but he ventured into the nearby village for food and found out that they were all gone. He- kind of shut down after stumbling back to the hideout. It was Fu who kept us both alive, though it sickened him to catch rabbits and feral dogs for us, until he could get my father back on his feet by pointing out that I still needed him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fu left us shortly after that; my father wandered south with me until he was caught by a work-draft party and taken to Germany to labor on one of their farms. He managed to keep me with him, and his animal expertise meant that he was assigned to the herds, which kept the two of us fed. So we survived until after the war; when we came back, we settled in Orleans and Father built up this new farm as he raised me, with some help from other vampire families.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There was an incident in the late 60’s in Paris; Fu remembered my father and reached out to him for help with a rogue that was going after couples. Father couldn’t go, then, but I was about Sami’s age and eager, and I helped Fu track him down. We faced him down; he broke my back and ran, only to find another vampire hunter outside of town, so he met his fate. But Fu cared for me until I healed enough to come home. I’ve been policing my own kind on the side ever since, and Fu always let me know when he found rogues in the area. Not just vampire ones, either; we dealt with a lone werewolf back in the 90’s, right before Sami was born, and a couple of other threats.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug thought about it for a long moment. “But- if the Miraculous are for defending humans against other threats- why would you-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Work with a Miraculous user? Call it enlightened self-interest. Vampires are a tiny part of the world’s population; and other species are about as numerous. Our various kinds have been hunted by humans before; some almost to extinction. If we can find ways of coexisting with humans, it’s in our best interest to keep the peace- and ourselves hidden in plain sight- so we aren’t hunted again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay; I can see that.” Ladybug blinked and yawned. “I’m sorry; it’s late-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not that late, but you’re right that the day starts early here. Why don’t the two of you borrow Sami’s room, and we’ll wake you before first milking to go home?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug nodded, picked up her sleeping partner, and followed Nikolai to a small bedroom. She barely remembered putting Cat Noir down on the bed and curling up next to him before she fell asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A soft knock on the door woke Marinette up before dawn. Looking around, she saw Adrien still curled up asleep next to her, and Plagg and Tikki snoozing together on the pillow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in,” she yawned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A young girl- she looked about ten or eleven, but Marinette knew better- pushed open the door. She was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and carrying a tray of food that smelled wonderful. “Hi. Mom sent breakfast, and Dad says you should go soon if you don’t want to be missed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stumbled a little with the tray, but caught herself. Marinette asked, “What’s your name?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tallis,” said the girl. “Sami’s my big brother.” She edged closer to the bed. “Is that really the Black Cat?” she whispered to Marinette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette was perplexed at Tallis’ hesitance. “Yes…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tallis toed the rug. “Dad says he’s nice, but- we have lots of stories about the Black Cat hunting us. Would he do that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, that was more understandable. “No, he wouldn’t,” she reassured the girl as she took hold of the tray. “Not unless you were hurting people. The rogue your dad fought was hurting me, and Cat Noir and your dad worked together to save me and stop anyone else from being hurt. Cat Noir is really kind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least, I try to be,” came a voice from the bed. Tallis squeaked and fled out of the room, and Marinette nearly lost her grip on the tray. Carefully setting it down on the desk next to the bed, Marinette reached over and laid a hand on Adrien’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Breakfast, Adrien,” she said quietly. “Then we have to go. Are- are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien rolled onto his back and sat up against the headboard, moving Tikki and Plagg away. “Mostly. I mean, we don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> anything for sure yet. I know that conversation Nikolai heard was pretty damning, but…while I can believe Pére would do this, I can’t believe it’s because he wants to rule the world or something stupid like that.” He met Marinette’s eyes with a serious look. “He’s got to have a reason, even if it’s a bad one. If we know why, it’ll be easier to stop him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette passed Adrien the tray; it held a large omelet and two forks, along with sliced cottage loaf, a small dish of jam, slices of cheese, and two small glasses of juice. Plagg sneezed himself awake and immediately pounced on the cheese; Marinette spread some of the jam on a slice of bread for Tikki, then sipped some juice. “I think what bothers me more is that Nikolai didn’t tell us about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a lot of that going around,” Adrien said, swallowing his bite of omelet and looking away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” That had sounded- </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Marinette had no idea why.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t completely asleep when you and Nikolai were talking last night.” Adrien pushed the tray off his lap and onto the bed; he gazed sadly at his partner. “Why didn’t you tell me about Cat Blanc?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette’s hand started to shake, she put the juice down carefully. “Because- because I was scared. Bunnyx didn’t let me see how it happened; she just shoved me into a devastated Paris to help my akumatized partner- who kept telling me how our love had caused the end of the world.” She tried to hold back the tears. “I saw what was left of Hawkmoth- and me- we’d both been Cataclysmed. That other you- he was so alone, so angry and sad-I can’t let that happen to you, I can’t!” She began to sob; she couldn’t stop it. “And I don’t know how to prevent it- except by not letting myself love you. As much as I –want to…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien gathered her to his chest in a hug. “I don’t know either. But I don’t think bottling up your fears and feelings are the way to go. I spent way too long with no one to talk to, so trust me, okay? Don’t hide things from me to protect me, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette nodded, sniffling. “Okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, m’lady.” He handed her the juice as Tikki uncurled and found her jam and bread. “Let’s eat, and go home. We can game-plan later.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So...yeah, that was an idea that came to me as I was writing Warmblooded. Maybe I could've put it in a one-shot, but it fit here.</p><p>Let me know what you think in the comments! I enjoy hearing what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Akumatized</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Candace's friend Lyssa makes a well-meaning mistake- and gets akumatized over it.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta work!</p><p>Thanks to my Discord friends, who let me borrow their names for characters.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Come </span>
  <em>
    <span>on, </span>
  </em>
  <span>ladies! We’re not going to miss out on our last day in Paris, are we?” Lyssa’s silver hairband glittered in the sun as she pulled on Candace’s sleeve, while April and Sierra giggled along behind. “Breakfast from </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> best bakery in the city, right? Then the Metró to the Eiffel Tower, and-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We get it, Lyssa, we get it. But why in such a hurry?” Candace normally was all for breakfast, but right now- the butterflies were going full-force in her stomach. Sami hadn’t replied to her email last night- which made sense; two emails in a night would be a bit much, wouldn’t it? She hadn’t put him off by telling him about his rude classmate, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Why did she </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sami to reply so badly? They’d just met! They couldn’t be- destined for each other; vampire magnetism didn’t work like that! </span>
  <em>
    <span>But- he seems so nice, and…</span>
  </em>
  <span>her heart wanted some kind of, well, romance- even though she knew better than to expect anything of the sort.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t want them to run out of croissants, that’s all,” replied Lyssa. Candace narrowed her eyes at her friend; when Lyssa got that tone to her voice, she was hiding something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bakery- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tom &amp; Sabine’s-</span>
  </em>
  <span> did look quite popular, though. Maybe Lyssa was right to be worried. They entered the shop just in time to see a girl their age whisk back out the rear door towards a set of stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Chinese woman at the counter welcomed them, and Candace placed their order. While the others could muddle slowly through French signs and simple conversations, Candace was fluent after more years of study. It was just easier to let her handle the transactions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mme. Cheng was kind enough to recommend that they take their breakfast to the park next door; she said it would be pleasant for a picnic to start their day. But her friends evidently had something else in mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, the park’s that way…” Candace pulled against Lyssa’s tug toward a building across the street.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“First things first. We can sit and eat after you get a glimpse of Lover-boy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?!?” Candace stopped dead; she didn’t often use her strength with her friends, but she didn’t intend to </span>
  <em>
    <span>move</span>
  </em>
  <span> until she understood. “What are you talking about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s his school!” chirped Sierra from behind. “Adrien told us where they go to school, and we looked it up!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bonus that it was next to the bakery where we wanted to get breakfast, right?” April had a sly look in her eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think maybe we’ll see Adrien again too? He’s so </span>
  <em>
    <span>gorgeous!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Candace tuned Sierra and April’s gushing over the model out as she glared at Lyssa. At first, her best friend looked unrepentant, but she slowly wilted under the fierce eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lyssa, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> see Sami. You know why! I thought you understood!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to stare at him! Just watch him when he arrives at school! Don’t you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see him again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>stalk</span>
  </em>
  <span> him, Lyssa! And that’s beside the point! You know why I can’t, and you did this anyway! Didn’t it even occur to you that I wanted to handle this </span>
  <em>
    <span>myself?</span>
  </em>
  <span> That I might want to figure things out without an </span>
  <em>
    <span>audience?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Candace whipped around and grabbed the bag of pastries out of Sierra’s hands, ignoring hers and April’s mystified look. “If my </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends</span>
  </em>
  <span> show up, tell them I’ll be in the park with breakfast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lyssa was crestfallen as she watched her best friend walk away. Sierra put a hand on her arm. “Uh, Lyssa- what was that about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing- nothing. Just- go eat with her at the park, okay? I’ll catch up in a minute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two girls walked off, and Lyssa found a private section of wall to slide down before she fell down. Her eyes burned with tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Candace was her best friend. Sure, maybe it was weird for a human to be friends with a vampire, but Lyssa had known Candace all her life. The girl was an utter sweetheart. Until now, apparently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What had made her act like that? Lyssa had had crushes, and she knew why Candace wouldn’t have one at school, but- now that she had one, why wouldn’t she want to spy on her crush, just like Lyssa had on Justin? Okay, Lyssa had been told about bonding and how vampires really were, but they couldn’t be that different, could they?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No, Sami and Candace needed to be together more. They needed to talk, instead of just staring into each other’s eyes (as cute as that was, it got boring after a while). Email wasn’t the same as </span>
  <em>
    <span>speaking.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Really, Lyssa had only been trying to help!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Of course, you were, Wingwoman,</span>
  </em>
  <span> came a soft voice from- somewhere behind her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I am Hawkmoth, and I will give you the power to help your friend be with her love. In return, you must get me Ladybug’s earrings and Cat Noir’s ring. Will you do that?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, if that was all it took-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Hawkmoth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Sami’s arrival at school was punctuated by a screech from around the corner. As a couple blew past him, screaming, he saw why- a shining chain of steel bound the two together at the wrist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Couples need to spend time </span>
  <em>
    <span>together!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> An akuma followed the two, looking around as if searching for someone. She was pink-haired, wearing a feathery skirt and halter top in a blinding fuchsia to contrast with her metallic golden skin and eyes. There was a glittery crown in her hair, with a purple-black jewel in the center. She was also hovering several inches off the ground, which made sense given the pair of bright pink wings sprouting out of her back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something shot from her crown and hit Nino and Alya, who had come through the doors to see what all the commotion was about. Instantly the two were bound together at their elbows, which had almost been touching as they came out the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami bolted for the school door; across the street, he could see Marinette coming out of the bakery. Her eyes widened, and she slipped sideways towards an alley.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not going </span>
  <em>
    <span>anywhere!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> the akuma screeched as she landed in front of Sami, blocking the door. “You’re coming with me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope!” Sami wrenched himself around and leaped back down the steps. He ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction, toward the park where he usually went for lunch. He hoped Ladybug could figure this girl out before she caught up with him again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug watched the akuma- she called herself ‘Wingwoman’ at one point- from the roof across from the school. After approaching Sami, the creature had let him go. That was odd, seeing as how she had wanted him to come with her in the first place. Now the akuma was joining any pair of kids she could see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir slipped up beside her. “Got your text and ditched my bodyguard at the light,” he said. “What’s it doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She appears to be forcing pairs together. A relationship kind of thing,” stated Ladybug. “Although, she let Sami go…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Weird.” Cat Noir used his baton to get a close-up. “So, if we get hit-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-we’ll be bound together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And she’s going for couples?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Akuma in the crown?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Most likely.” Ladybug saw Max and Lila get hit with a beam. “Eurgh; I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Poor Max.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, which way did Sami go?” The akuma was heading away with more purpose, now that the schoolkids were all attached or fled. She appeared to be heading to the park.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh Sami,” the akuma called. “Time to be with your love!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir paled. “Oh no.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I forgot to tell you about something yesterday, and if that akuma is who I think it is- Sami’s in big trouble.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh, no, we have a fight! How will this turn out?</p><p>(Did you see the slight movie reference? It's so subtle, I didn't notice until after I wrote it...my brother would be thrilled.)</p><p>Let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Fight in the Park</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wingwoman follows Sami to the park; Ladybug and Cat Noir catch up.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p><p>Thanks again to my Discord friends for being willing to let me use their names!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Candace moped on the bench in the park, as Sierra and April tried to cheer her up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lyssa meant well- well, we all did,” April was saying. “Sorry, we didn’t ask how you’d feel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, here’s a croissant,” Sierra added, holding out the pastry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Candace just shook her head. “Maybe later, okay? When Lyssa gets here.” She’d regretted what she’d said almost as soon as she’d walked away- and when the other two showed up without Lyssa, it only made her worried. She pushed her sunglasses back more securely on her nose and toyed with her travel mug. It was empty now, but she needed something to fidget with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly a boy bolted past them- one glance and the three of them gasped. “S-Sami?” Candace stuttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He must have heard her, for he pulled a U-turn and ran back to their bench. She was grateful for her shades, which let him look her in the face without freezing. “Okay, which one of your friends is the akuma?” he said, breathing heavily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” What on Earth was he babbling about? She knew the term ‘akuma’ from her research into Paris’ so-called heroes (Heroes! Ha! As if the Black Cat and Ladybug weren’t creatures out of legend, bent on destroying her kind! Who did Paris think it was fooling?), but, one of her friends?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her heart clenched. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lyssa?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, one that seemed all too eager for me to come with her after I saw her binding couples together.” Sami glanced around and up- was he expecting something to come from the sky? “Y’know what- never mind. Let’s just find a place where she can’t get to us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sierra and April were a bit slower on the uptake than Sami wanted; he hauled them both off the bench and was just reaching for Candace when she stood up too. “If Lyssa is the akuma, I have to find her before Cat Noir and Ladybug hurt her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami blinked at that last. “What? No! The heroes cleanse the akuma, bringing them back to normal. They won’t hurt her!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But- but that’s what they</span>
  <em>
    <span> do</span>
  </em>
  <span>, they go after –others,” Candace argued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami rolled his eyes. “We don’t have time for this. Come on!” Grabbing April by the hand, he took off across the park.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> came a screech from behind. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s the wrong one!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wingwoman flew across the park and landed in front of Sami. “You’re supposed to be with Candace! To be together!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lyssa,” choked Candace. This couldn’t be happening!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lyssa’s gone, sweetie. I am Wingwoman, here to make sure you get to spend time with your crush!” The pink-and-gold flying monstrosity grabbed Sami by the wrist and lifted him off the ground. “Don’t you want to be with her, Sami?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but not like this! Let me go!” Sami wriggled and dropped when a silver baton struck the hand holding him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You heard the boy, lady.” Ladybug stood next to her partner on the bench; Candace hadn’t even seen them show up. Her heart jumped up into her throat, and she froze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A hand grabbed her elbow. “Come on, Candace, we need to go!” Sierra said, pulling on Candace’s arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami was running in the opposite direction; Wingwoman screeched again, but before she could fly off, Ladybug had her tangled in her yoyo. Cat Noir vaulted up to grab the crown, but he missed as a feather escaped and he sneezed. Candace couldn’t force herself to move; she stumbled as Sierra pulled her along on legs that felt like rubber, and she couldn’t take her eyes off the fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wingwoman pulled against the yoyo and shot a beam towards the ‘heroes’. She missed them as they split apart, and Ladybug retracted her yoyo. “Lucky Charm!” she called, spinning her yoyo above her head, and a flash of magic coalesced into what looked like a scuba tank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug looked around and grinned in a way that made the hairs on the back of Candace’s neck rise. The spotted girl flipped a bench onto a downed trash can and laid the tank in the groove it formed. “The valve!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got it! Cataclysm!” shouted Cat Noir. The tank’s valve disappeared in a haze of dust, and the tank rocketed forward, striking Wingwoman in the side and knocking her off balance. The villain crashed into the ground, and Ladybug was right there to grab the crown and snap it in half.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Candace trembled as she watched. These were Lyssa’s last moments, she knew it…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…Except all that happened was that a black butterfly escaped from the broken crown, and Wingwoman was covered in a black bubbling magic that revealed Lyssa crumpled to the ground. Ladybug caught the butterfly in her yoyo, releasing a white one a second later. Cat Noir brought Ladybug the empty scuba tank, and she tossed it into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Sami and April came back across the park, Candace saw a bright cloud of pink and red ladybugs sweep past and head back towards the school. Ladybug and Cat Noir were exchanging a fist bump. Sierra ran over to Lyssa, exclaiming over her and asking if she was okay; April also went over to help Lyssa up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami was rubbing his wrist as he came to stand by Candace. Ladybug looked over at him. “Sami, are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir began to head towards Sami; Candace flinched and backed up a step.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir sighed and dropped to all fours. “If your sister hadn’t done the same thing, Sami, I’d be kind of hurt right now.” The catboy blinked wide kitten eyes at her as Ladybug came up to stand beside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s all right- Candace, is it? We don’t want to hurt either of you.” She scratched the ears of the blond; he purred in response. “Sami, is your wrist all right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami smiled (</span>
  <em>
    <span>smiled</span>
  </em>
  <span>!) at the pair. “That akuma just had a really strong grip, is all. It’ll be fine in a bit; faster when I can get a snack.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Candace glanced uncertainly back and forth. Did Sami know these two? And what about the history stories? <br/></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami gave her a sympathetic look and said, “I’ll explain when I write tonight. You can check on your friends, and I’ve got to go to school. Later?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Candace nodded, as a beeping noise came from the heroes and they vaulted to the rooftops away from the group. She watched Sami as he left the park. This was maybe the weirdest day she’d had. And hopefully, Sami </span><em><span>would </span></em><span>explain, because nothing she’d been taught made sense anymore</span>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Akuma fights are hard. Lots of moving parts.</p><p>Please let me know what you think! I love comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Enlisting Chaos</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami makes an offer Plagg just can't refuse. Gabriel gets some food for thought.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p><p>No, I have not seen the NY special yet. Family obligations tend to come at inopportune times. But I will catch up with the doings as soon as I can!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It hadn’t been the best beginning to the day, and the rest wasn’t going any better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila had somehow managed to convince the class that Sami had caused the morning’s akuma, or at least arranged it so he could ditch class. And she was spreading lies with as thick a hand as ever, her voice as disturbing as ever. Sami wondered if Candace was right, and Lila was a lorelei; he hadn’t had the chance to ask his dad yet. But- Lila had been akumatized a number of times, and the Miraculous cure worked on her according to Adrien and Marinette, so…it was unlikely she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>other.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Maybe there was some other explanation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was clear by the afternoon that Sami had made it onto Lila’s ‘enemies’ list. If anything, his exposure by Riva in his old school was more of a threat, but Sami knew that, given a crumb of dirt, Lila could and would make his life even more miserable than Riva did. He held his head high, and ignored Lila’s every insinuation with the disdain it deserved.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was exhausting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami tried to concentrate on schoolwork; he did manage to set a time for him and Adrien to work on their project after fencing on Friday, and he got caught up on other work during study hall. Going home and having nothing to do, he checked his tablet for messages.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A quick email from his father:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hi Sami- We’re not going to meet tonight; your mom went into labor this morning, and while you now have a beautiful new sister, everyone is too worn out and is going to bed early. We’ll show her off officially tomorrow, but here’s a picture Tallis took of her. (By the way, if you have any name ideas- your mom was so sure it was a boy she didn’t think of any girl names- let me know; I’m almost too tired to think right now.) Dad</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Opening the attachment, Sami found a picture of your average newborn vampire: slightly wrinkled, very bald, and tightly gripping the air in little fists. He smiled at his new sister, who was clearly being held in his mother’s arms in the photo, his annoyance forgotten. He sent a reply:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She’s adorable, Dad; I can’t wait to see her. What do you think of calling her Helaine?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d always liked that name; it was the name of one of the aunts he never got to meet- his father’s sister. It seemed appropriate to pass the name on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No other emails of importance had shown up, so he opened up a new email for Candace. As he wrote to her, explaining more about the current Black Cat and Ladybug (and excluding anything that could lead her back to them), he reflected on Hawkmoth and the idea that he might be Gabriel Agreste.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One meeting wasn’t enough to base an opinion on, but Adrien had been living with his father all along, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> thought it was possible. Sami knew that the police were using cameras to track the cursed butterflies, but their method was slow and depended a lot on chance. And it wasn’t like it could wait- too many people were being akumatized; Candace’s friend Lyssa was only the latest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What if, Sami thought, what if Gabriel could be… prodded into revealing something? Sure, it was a little risky, but wouldn’t it be worth it? Just to know one way or the other?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He finished the email to Candace, and opened up a new file on his tablet. This was either the best idea ever- or the worst one- so he’d better plan it out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Plagg may have been the kwami of Destruction, but that was only seen as bad by those who chose to. After all, his job was to balance Tikki, so that unbridled Creation didn’t choke the world and destroy it anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That being said, he did love him a good pruning of ego. And in his opinion (honed over millennia), Gabriel Agreste was in dire need of a good pruning. Mostly because of how he treated Adrien, although his chosen would argue that his father really did love him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s not what Plagg saw. In virtually every interaction (not that they were that common), Gabriel did not talk </span>
  <em>
    <span>to </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adrien so much as talk </span>
  <em>
    <span>at</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adrien. Poor kid didn’t know the difference, but Plagg could tell. Top it off with the insistence on perfection, outsized punishments for minor infractions, and expecting Adrien to drop everything for his needs and not give the same consideration back- Plagg was more than ready to take the man down a peg or two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And well, if what the vampires suspected was </span>
  <em>
    <span>true-</span>
  </em>
  <span> it would only be what Gabriel deserved for mistreating Nooroo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plagg had tried to surreptitiously watch Gabriel (and Nathalie; she’d be the logical Peacock holder, and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> been inexplicably ill for a while), but it was hard. First, Plagg had to find a time when it would be safe to be away from Adrien- almost never, since his father had an irregular sleep schedule. Which made sense, in theory; Hawkmoth was not known for only sending out akumas nine to five. But the man did sleep…eventually.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then he had to actually get in the same room without potentially alerting Nooroo. That was proving trickier. Gabriel often locked himself in his office alone- and of course that would be when it was most likely Nooroo was with him. There was a camera in the place since Adrien had been caught taking his father’s book, but Nooroo wouldn’t show on that, even if Plagg knew where to find the camera feed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Actually, Plagg suspected that Nooroo wouldn’t tell if he saw the cat kwami- unless he’d been ordered to. And Plagg had no doubt that he would have been ordered to. So, directly outing the man wasn’t going to work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Poking at him, though- now </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> had potential.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami had come over Friday evening to work on the history assignment with Adrien. But when Adrien stepped into the bathroom for a minute (legitimately, this time), Sami pulled out a dozen or so small papers folded in half and a wheel of cheese that smelled </span>
  <em>
    <span>divine</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Setting the cheese down next to the papers, Sami carefully stood and looked out the window, his back to the table. “If someone wanted to annoy Gabriel Agreste,” he said, “they might decide to hide those papers all over his office while he was asleep. Just so he could find them and wonder where they came from. If he’s hiding something, they might scare him into acting rashly. And someone is free to the cheese, whether they decide to do this or not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, with an offer like that-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Sami turned around a minute later, Adrien was coming out of the bathroom. And both the papers and the cheese were gone.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Gabriel’s morning routine never varied; only the timing of it did, when akumas ran long into the night. Showered, dressed, and an abbreviated breakfast came before everything else, even the chance at an akuma. Given the choice, he would bypass the breakfast, too, but Nathalie was right in that he needed the energy and caffeine if he was to maintain focus for any length of time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The emotions of the city were calm this morning, as was the house. Adrien was no doubt working quietly in his room on Chinese or piano; even on the weekends, sleeping in was a slothful habit that Gabriel had never allowed his son to acquire. Or if he wasn’t there, he was at the school, preparing for an upcoming fencing tournament- Gabriel was sure there was one coming within the next month since Tsurugi-san had mentioned one the last time they met. Nathalie would know which.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moving to his stand, Gabriel activated his monitor. The touchscreen was state of the art, recognizing his hand and unlocking his files automatically. The screen had shifted and was no longer angled properly, so Gabriel took hold of the edge to adjust it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His fingers brushed against a piece of paper. Irritated, he grabbed the offending paper; no one should be so crass as to stick reminder notes to his screen!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This didn’t look like the typical sticky note, though- and upon closer inspection, hadn’t been stuck to the monitor at all, but carefully slid into a crevice of the casing. Plain white paper, folded in half.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel unfolded the note, sure it had something to do with the business if it was here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>WE KNOW WHAT YOU’VE DONE</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel nearly dropped the paper. What was this- some kind of joke? If so, it was a very poor one. No one could possibly know what he’d done- no one but Nathalie, and she wouldn’t do something so- juvenile. And besides- no one had been in the office since he had left it late last night after another attempt to secure the heroes’ Miraculous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>More annoyed than before, Gabriel glanced around the office. No clues presented themselves- but there was a glimpse of white barely hidden behind one of Adrien’s modeling portraits.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>YOUR ACTIONS AWOKE THE BLACK CAT AND LADYBUG</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A frisson of fear made its way up Gabriel’s spine. “Nathalie!” he called, and his ever-present assistant looked up from her desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He brandished the two notes he had found. “Where did these come from?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie blinked. “Sir, I don’t know. What are they?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel beckoned her over, and she stood. As she shifted away from her desk, he spotted another piece of paper fluttering on the back of her chair. Quickly he moved towards her, grasping the chair back and snatching the new note.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>YOU ARE A THREAT TO US</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He thrust the notes at Nathalie. “Search the room. Find them all,” he instructed her angrily. “Then check the camera for the room. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> will pay for this- invasion!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A careful search yielded several more notes, all along the same lines- but the camera revealed nothing. Not a light, not a movement- except-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Did Emilie’s portrait move, just a fraction?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel and Nathalie hurried over to the mosaic. A quick check showed that it was as solidly in place as ever; Gabriel pulled on the edge to reveal the safe, half-expecting a flutter of paper to fall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing. His shoulders relaxed, and he took a deep breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir?” Nathalie pointed to a sliver of paper wedged in the crack of the safe door. With shaking fingers, Gabriel pulled it out and unfolded it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>YOUR THREAT WILL BE ENDED</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His heart went cold in his chest. “Not if we end it first,” he snapped, crumpling the note in his fist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gestured sharply for Nathalie to follow. They had work to do- and a note-writer to find.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>...Sami? Plagg? Was this really a good idea?</p><p>Let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Hunter and Hunted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami's drawn the attention of Hawkmoth and Mayura- at the worst possible time.</p><p>TW: Blood and bloodsucking. (But this is a vampire fic; it was gonna happen sometime. Just letting you know.)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta! Much appreciated!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sami tightened his hoodie over his head against the light drizzle, and dug his thermal mug out of his backpack. Swinging the backpack over his shoulder, he sighed as he made his way towards school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The class had decided to have an informal study session at the school to work on their history projects. Adrien, of course, had a fencing class first, so Sami was going to meet him there; they were actually almost done with theirs, but any excuse to hang out with friends was a good one, in Adrien’s opinion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But having spent a late night talking to his dad (and meeting his new sister- his parents had used his name suggestion, which warmed his heart) meant that Sami had gotten a late start in the morning. He’d had to run out of the apartment without breakfast in order to meet up with Luka and Juleka for a violin session. Now it was almost noon, and he was feeling a little twitchy from the lack of blood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No problem. As soon as he got to school, he’d have a few minutes to sip his drink before the fencers finished up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A low growl sounded from behind him, and a voice purred, “Well, well, who do we have here? A bit of game for the Hunter!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Turning, Sami found what could only be an akuma- if the purple and black hunter’s rig didn’t give him away, the orange eyes certainly </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And next to him-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like my puppy, little sneak?” the akuma patted the head of the green-and-blue doglike creature next to him. “He can sniff out little sneaks who think it’s funny to try and scare people with threats and notes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s heart plummeted. Of course, he should have seen this coming. His notes had gotten to the source, and now he had an akuma after him (again, but details). If he’d really wanted a confirmation that M. Agreste was Hawkmoth, this was as obvious as it got.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So take off your hood, sneak. The boss wants to see who you really are,” snarled the akuma. He lunged at Sami, who ducked under the arm, pivoted and slammed his foot into the Hunter’s posterior. A growl from the blue dog, and Sami hurled his mug into the creature’s face at full strength, point blank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami had been holding back his vampire strength for weeks, knowing it would be impossible to explain away. The only possible slip he’d made was with the Minotaur, and he hadn’t gone all out then. But the Hunter’s words told him that Hawkmoth didn’t know who he was; with the hoodie up hiding his hair, and just the one look at him to go by, Sami doubted M. Agreste would make the connection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That meant he didn’t have to hide </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything.</span>
  </em>
  <span> At least, not until after the fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The broken mug’s contents blinded the creature briefly, but didn’t stop him from smelling Sami out. A swift kick to the side launched it into the wall. Sami glanced back at the Hunter, who had regained his footing and was now brandishing a nasty-looking bullwhip. A purple outline of a butterfly flashed in front of the akuma’s eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami grinned, a smile that showed off his mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. No telepathic projection to hide behind now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Who</span>
  </em>
  <span> I am isn’t important,” he said, trying to pitch his voice as low as possible. “You should be asking ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>what’?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>With that, he took off running , with the hound still coming after him but hampered by the blood smoothie still coating its face, and the Hunter following.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A series of windows was almost as good as a ladder; Sami leaped for and caught a second-floor balcony edge and pulled himself up; a second jump got him a grip on the edge of the roof and he swung onto the shingles. He hadn’t run roofs like this- not like his father had- but he had spent a lot of time running across the top rails of the fences around the farm; this was just- a bit higher.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A noise sounded behind him, and Sami turned to see the Hunter snap his bullwhip around a chimney and begin to swing himself and his hound up the wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Time to run.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette’s morning had been a relaxing one. She’d helped some in the bakery during the morning rush, and was now sitting out on her balcony under the shade, sketching. Even the drizzle hadn’t put her off; the sunlight slanting through the clouds in the distance had given her </span>
  <em>
    <span>ideas,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and she wanted to catch them while they lasted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That looks like a fun one, Marinette! Are you going to make it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette regarded the sketch for a girls’ dress critically. Manon’s birthday was coming up, and it would make a good present for her. On the other hand, the design wasn’t really meant for the hard wear Manon generally put on her clothes. “Maybe when Manon grows out of her ‘hyperactive’ phase,” she hummed. “For now, I could just do this…” She flipped the paper over and sketched a similar design, one that could be made out of heavier fabric and had legs instead of a skirt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An akuma alert pinged on her phone; the amateur video showed a boy in a hoodie being chased over roofs by an akuma in a purple hunter’s rig and- was that a blue </span>
  <em>
    <span>dog?</span>
  </em>
  <span> An amok, then; no one caught a glimpse of Mayura, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An odd sound in the distance made Marinette and Tikki move to the edge of the balcony. They caught a glimpse of the boy, making an impossible leap from one rooftop to the roof of the school, followed by the villains in the video.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette ducked back against the wall. “We have to transform! Tikki, </span>
  <em>
    <span>spots on!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s fencing class was wrapping up; he tried to ignore the watchers on the second-floor rail as he headed towards the side of the space for a towel. Not that he minded an audience for fencing- and most of them were his classmates anyway- but one of them was Lila, and she-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, the farther he was from her, after that scene in the Louvre, the better. Even more so since he learned about the conversation Nikolai had heard; it would be just like Lila (and how could he not have suspected this before?) to be working with his father to make akumas. She had </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>left him alone since; she had gotten more touch-aggressive in class, to the point where even Ms. Bustier had to call her off so class could start. And now she was beginning to spread lies about Sami, insinuating that he was violent and uncouth. Worse than that- people were believing it. At least, until they talked to Sami and his telepathic projection made things better for a bit. But that was only a temporary solution, and Sami couldn’t do it too much- not without risking their classmates’ minds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the last pairs finished sparring practice, Kagami came up to him. Things were a touch awkward between the two fencers, since their parents still thought they were a good match and threw them together in any public situation they cared to. Adrien and Kagami had decided to make a joke out of it, and played civil in public while quietly telling jokes to each other during whatever situation they happened to be in at the time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kagami, it turned out, was not a natural comedian, but could deliver a punch line like an uppercut given an opportunity. Her flat delivery somehow made it even funnier when a joke of hers landed, and she was getting better at telling them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is your schedule like for the rest of the day?” she asked. “I was hoping we could talk later.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien shrugged. “I’m here working on a school project with my classmates until 1500, then home for a Chinese lesson. Next week there’s a conflict, so it got pushed to today. Maybe after-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A ripping noise echoed in the courtyard, and the rain shield overhead ripped in two. A boy in a hoodie fell through the hole, landing on his shoulder in the middle of the fencers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The combatants scattered, just in time to avoid the akuma and amok that leaped in afterward. The boy dodged the arm swung at him and made a beeline for the stairs, limping slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get in the classrooms!” Adrien yelled to his teammates before ducking into the locker room with Kagami in tow. “You go that way,” he told her, pointing to the girls’ restroom. “We’ll be harder to find if we split up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You go. I have an akuma to face; Hawkmoth owes me a debt of honor.” With that, Kagami ran back out the locker room doors, foil in hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muttering words in Chinese that his father </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> wouldn’t want him to know, Adrien wrenched open the door to his locker. “Plagg, We’ve got an akuma and an amok! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Claws out!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir headed out of the lockers to find Kagami and the boy back to back under the basketball hoop. Kagami was holding off the dog- thing with calculated thrusts of her blade; it didn’t seem to want to engage her and was dodging rather than using its teeth. The boy, meanwhile, was using his backpack as a shield; the Hunter was attempting to catch it in his whip, and also had a large hunting knife in his other hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kagami lost her foil to the creature’s teeth, just as Ladybug’s yoyo shot out from above to catch the amok around the waist; she pulled it off the ground so it couldn’t move on Kagami. Cat Noir jumped in and snagged the collar with his claws. It tore, and a feather was released.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Ladybug cleansed the feather, Cat Noir turned to the other fight. The Hunter hadn’t yet done more than snag the backpack and throw it across the room; the kid was </span>
  <em>
    <span>good </span>
  </em>
  <span>at dodging despite favoring his ankle. That being said, the knife was sharp; in terms of weaponry, this might be one of the most dangerous akuma he’d seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Hunter suddenly stepped back and snapped his whip upward, catching the basketball hoop. With a yank, the villain pulled down the hoop and part of the floor it was attached to. Cat Noir leaped to push the boy out of the way of the falling debris, as Ladybug caught the knife-hand and yanked, disarming the akuma.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kagami had recovered her foil, and was poised to charge. Cat Noir looked at the boy he saved.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Sami. And something was wrong with him; he was trembling slightly, and he lay curled up with his eyes tightly shut, his hands balled into fists.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sami?” Cat Noir tried to get the vampire’s attention, but the boy flinched away. The hero scanned the courtyard roof; the hole in the ceiling didn’t reveal Mayura or even Hawkmoth, so the only danger left was the akuma.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind him, he heard Ladybug call for her Lucky Charm. Cat Noir turned to see her using a set of marbles and Kagami’s foil to flip the pith helmet off the villain; Kagami caught it and flung it like a Frisbee toward him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cataclysm!” The helmet dissolved at his touch, releasing the butterfly. A quick purification, and Ladybug was casting her Cure. Cat Noir turned back to Sami-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-Who was still shaking; if anything, he was trembling harder. “Sami? Are you all right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“…roof…now…” the vampire whispered. Seriously concerned now, Cat Noir picked up his friend and launched himself with his baton as the rain shield (now repaired), was being rolled back to reveal a sky that was no longer drizzling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He set Sami down on a portion of the roof where the damp surface was already drying in the weak sunlight. “Sami? Sami, what’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy continued to shake, as he fumbled his phone out of his hoodie pocket and unlocked it. “Call…Dad…” he said, breathing hard, as he handed over the phone. “Tell him…blood fever…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He curled back up, screwing his eyes shut again. Ladybug landed next to Cat Noir as he searched through the contacts for Nikolai’s number.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The akumatized man is okay; M. D’Argencourt is taking care of him,” she said as her earrings beeped. Cat Noir’s ring echoed the beep a moment later, as he finally found the contact and hit ‘video call’. She asked, “Is Sami all right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “I don’t know- he said something about ‘blood fever’, whatever that is,” Cat Noir glanced at the trembling boy, then back to the phone. “I thought he got hurt in the attack; he was favoring one leg-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“no… my healing…” Sami forced out. Cat Noir remembered Nikolai healing himself from a broken leg during the Varujan fight; maybe Sami did the same with his foot. But Nikolai had needed a dose of blood to help…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai picked up the video call. On seeing Cat Noir and Ladybug, his face turned ashen. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Cat Noir? Where’s Sami?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s here,” Cat Noir replied, turning the phone to show the shaking boy, who was pushing his hood off with one trembling hand. “He was injured in the last akuma attack, but he said to call you and tell you ‘blood fever.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what that means-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai’s eyes widened. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“It means Sami’s in danger- and so are you. Let me talk to him.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir handed the phone to the boy; Sami cracked his eyes open to see his father. “Dad…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sami, listen to me, okay? You can still get past this, but you need to help us. How long since you’ve fed?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His breathing was ragged. “Last…night…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai cursed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Too long. Okay, where’s your backpack?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s eyes were riveted on the screen, as if looking away would end the world. “School…courtyard?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll get it,” Cat Noir volunteered. He remembered Nikolai’s pack; Sami’s probably had supplies in it too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, Cat Noir, you stay here, just in case. Ladybug, will you-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will, but we don’t have much time left-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Then go find it. Sami doesn’t have much time either, and if he goes- we all lose.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug turned and swung back down into the courtyard. Cat Noir looked over at Sami, whose trembling had gotten worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cat Noir. I needed you to stay because Sami can’t affect you telepathically as long as you’re transformed. If Ladybug can’t get back in time,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai took a shuddering breath, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“you will have to kill Sami.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wh- what?!?” Cat Noir recoiled. “Sami’s my friend, I can’t-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dad’s…right…” came Sami’s voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai nodded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Blood fever happens when a vampire is deprived of blood for a time. Sami’s young; he needs blood at least twice a day, and he’s gone too long. He’ll slip into madness, and kill anyone he can find for their blood if he doesn’t get some soon.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir glanced between his friend and the screen. “I can’t stay transformed- I already used Cataclysm against the akuma-“ a crazy idea entered his head. “What if I gave Sami some blood?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai’s head snapped up on the screen. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“No! We can’t ask that of you!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not asking; I’m volunteering. Sami only needs a couple hundred milliliters, right? I can do that, if it’ll save him. Claws in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plagg hovered near Adrien, looking distressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adrien, this is a bad idea-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Letting Sami turn into a killer for something I can do is a worse one. Ladybug’s not back yet, and Sami needs this.” Adrien was shucking off his fencing jacket, leaving the undershirt, then pulling the phone out of Sami’s hand and setting it where they both could see. “He’s obviously getting worse, Nikolai; what do I do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai heaved a sigh; his tight lips betrayed his dislike of the whole idea. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Sit Sami up against your chest, facing out; he needs access to your arm, but I don’t want him looking at you by accident. He’ll do the rest by instinct.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien obeyed, sitting Sami up in front of him, and offering his left arm. Sami latched onto his bicep hard with his left hand; with his right, he sliced an inch-long groove in the crease of Adrien’s elbow with his fingernail. Sami brought the oozing wound to his mouth-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-and Adrien fought with himself, trying not to jerk away from the alien sensation of his blood being sucked out of his arm. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sami needs this, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he told himself, as he struggled to stay in place, as he grew slightly lightheaded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Where is Ladybug?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>...yeah, that happened.</p><p>Sorry for posting late today; I try to post before I go to the 9-5, but...ants. They are currently invading our house, and it's been a fight every morning to keep them out of places they shouldn't be in- like the kitchen and bathroom. Holding back the horde took priority this morning. But this is a slightly longer chapter, and hopefully worth the wait.</p><p>Let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. To Help and to Harm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kagami helps Ladybug, and Lila sees something she shouldn't.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ladybug landed in the courtyard, looking around for the black backpack she remembered Sami carrying. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it was kicked into a corner, or someone picked it up? </span>
  </em>
  <span>It didn’t seem to be anywhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few people still lingered in the courtyard; M. D’Argencourt was leaving the front doors and returning to his remaining students. “Mlle. Ladybug,” he greeted. “Dost thou require something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kagami approached from the side as Ladybug explained. “The boy who was attacked by the akuma- he dropped his backpack here, and it has- medical supplies he needs. I’m trying to find it,” her timer beeped, “before I have to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kagami spoke up. “I saw the backpack against the wall; I thought someone would come looking for it. I put it in my locker to keep safe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug gestured for Kagami to lead. “I need to hurry, for his sake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kagami led Ladybug at a jog into the locker room. “Here.” She stopped in front of a locker and opened it. The backpack sat on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug picked it up. “Thank you, Kagami. He really needs this.” Ladybug made her way to the doors of the locker room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome, Ladybug. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otsukaresama deshita</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Kagami bowed as the hero left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug was about to launch her yoyo when a frantic beeping at her ear warned her she was out of time. Sprinting for a closet near the stairwell, she ducked inside and closed the door. Just in time; she heard a handful of students come down the courtyard stairs, chattering to each other, as her transformation faded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tapping her foot as she fed Tikki, Marinette wondered how long it would take for the group to move. Had they seen her? Was Kagami still out there? She couldn’t risk it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a couple of minutes, Tikki touched Marinette’s arm to get her attention. The voices were moving away, but not fast enough for Marinette’s peace of mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go look for you, to make sure it’s clear,” whispered the kwami. Tikki phased through the door, and Marinette fretted. Finally, Tikki returned. “Coast is clear!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette opened the door and sprinted the few steps to the stairwell. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I hope we’ll be in time…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Running up multiple flights of stairs was not something she wanted to do again without her super suit, she decided. Marinette burst onto the roof, panting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien and Sami were still on the roof. Adrien had detransformed; his fencing jacket was crumpled to the side, and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-and Sami was </span>
  <em>
    <span>feeding. On Adrien!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette felt sick. She remembered Varujan, and the feeling of being fed on, too well sometimes. If Sami had coerced Adrien- put him under a telepathic influence- she didn’t know what she would do to the vampire, but it wouldn’t be pretty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien looked up, and caught her eyes. He shook his head, and mouthed ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>he needs this’.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Which didn’t make Marinette feel much better, but it let her walk across the roof calmly and kneel next to them, unzipping the backpack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sami, Marinette’s here. She has your backpack,” Adrien said to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai chimed in from the phone. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Sami, listen to me. Seal the wound.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a second, Marinette thought Sami was too far gone to listen; remembering the euphoria Varujan had while feeding, she knew Sami might not hear them. Then, Sami closed his mouth over the wound and lifted his head, leaving behind an oval bruise on Adrien’s arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Released from Sami’s grip, Adrien slumped back, cradling his arm as Marinette handed Sami the backpack. Nikolai spoke up from the phone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Give Sami one of the vials from the thermos, and give Adrien one of the juice cans and a pack of crackers. Sami may not have gotten enough, and I’d rather be sure without potentially endangering Adrien.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami blinked sleepily as he dug through the pack, pulling out the juice and crackers before opening the thermos. Marinette saw the ice and the vials of blood; as Sami’s coordination seemed to be suffering, she pulled out one and handed it to him. Sami cracked the seal on the vial and drank it down in two gulps before sliding sideways, dead asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sami?” She didn’t remember that happening before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai chuckled grimly. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s fine now. It’s just because it’s daylight, and he fed on human blood; he’ll sleep until sundown, and be kind of light-sensitive tomorrow, but the human-blood effects generally don’t last longer than a day or so if you’re not feeding on it all the time. How are you feeling, Adrien?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like Sami has the right idea,” Adrien replied. “We’re definitely not doing homework today. I’m calling my driver; I think I need a nap before my Chinese lesson.” He stood, only a little shaky, picking up his jacket and heading for the stairwell. Marinette said goodbye to Nikolai, promising to text him when she got Sami home, then she peered over the edge of the roof, until she saw the silver car leaving with its passenger. Transforming, she picked up her sleeping friend and carried him to his home.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila didn’t want to be at the school today. Who on Earth decided that Saturday was the perfect time to do homework? Not her. (Not that she did much in the way of homework, anyway. It was much easier to have Max or Sabrina do the assignments, since it let them feel needed. Besides, one word about her arthritic wrist, and she’d be given all the time she needed.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she couldn’t get out of it this time. Her mother had overheard her talking with Mylene late last night on the phone, and in a rare show of parental concern, assured both girls that Lila could go. And really, there was one benefit- the study session the class had cooked up was right after Adrien’s fencing class. Which meant that awful bodyguard wouldn’t be there, and since most of the class believed Lila when she said that she and Adrien were secretly dating, well…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila smiled to herself as she watched the fencers from above. Adrien would have to just sit and take whatever she wanted to give him. Either that, or let his precious Marinette be ruined. It wouldn’t even be hard; she was a jealous witch anyway, looking for reasons to get rid of Lila.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then another thought crossed Lila’s mind. Sure, Marinette was a pushover; she hadn’t even reacted beyond clenched fists and dirty looks over the last few days, when Lila had shown who the boss of Adrien was every opportunity she could. But Sami- was a wild card. He was Adrien’s partner for the history project- and had already proven himself to be an obstacle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If only that little hussy at the Louvre had listened to her! Lila was sure she could have convinced the girl to turn Sami in to the Louvre’s security on some trumped-up charge, eventually. But she had just brushed Lila off- and by the time the akuma attack was over, so was the opportunity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So far, Sami hadn’t shown up, but that could change in a heartbeat. Lila was determined to get him out of the way somehow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A rip in the rainshield startled everyone, but the akuma and amok that came through after the falling boy were even more startling. Lila watched for an opportunity to interfere until Mylene pulled her away from the second-floor rails, heading for the library stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The class huddled in the dubious safety of the library until a pink light flashed under the door. Cautiously, Ivan checked to see that the rainshield was repaired and being rolled back; Lila lingered as the class filtered out the door to check for themselves. She wandered up to the stacks on the higher level, pausing near the window that overlooked the courtyard and roof.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no point in staying now; Adrien would no doubt be pulled straight home, as he usually was for akuma attacks, and Sami wouldn’t be here if Adrien wasn’t. She could stay and plant rumors among the sheep, but...she could do that just as easily on Monday, when both her targets were in range.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A flash of green through the window caught her eye. Curious, she looked out at the roof.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was Sami, who didn’t look so well, and…</span>
  <em>
    <span>Adrien?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He was removing his fencing jacket and looking at a phone, which he propped up somehow. Pulling Sami upright and practically putting the shaking boy in his lap, Adrien put out his arm in front of his classmate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami grabbed the arm and sliced it somehow; Lila could see the line of red that appeared. As she watched in fascinated revulsion, Sami put his lips against the wound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s eyes were closed and his face turned away, but he didn’t try to free himself. After a minute, Marinette came running onto the roof, carrying a black backpack. The look on her face told Lila that she knew exactly what was happening, and didn’t like it. She walked over and dropped to her knees next to the pair; Sami let go of Adrien, who collapsed backward, clutching his arm. Sami and Marinette then rummaged in the backpack, giving Adrien a can of juice and a vial of something red to Sami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila turned away from the window then, thinking hard. What exactly had she just seen?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If she didn’t know better, Sami had been drinking Adrien’s blood. There was no other explanation for it. But why would Adrien let it happen? Unless-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila knew only the basics about vampires; she wasn’t a fan of fiction, much less horror stories. Her stories were so much better, because they gave people what they wanted in return for what </span>
  <em>
    <span>she</span>
  </em>
  <span> wanted. Tangible benefit was always better than the good feeling after a story one knew was fake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But this wasn’t fake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Lila smiled, as she realized what she could do. She didn’t even have to tell a made-up story about Sami anymore. The truth would be damaging enough. And everyone would believe her</span>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, that can't be good.</p><p>Please leave your theories/ ideas/ feelings in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. A Reason for Being</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ladybug consults with Nikolai regarding Lila.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ladybug had thought she could get Sami into the apartment via the window, but she’d forgotten that most people lock theirs when they aren’t home. Sami was dead to the world; he couldn’t tell her where the key was, and she was too embarrassed by the idea of rummaging in his clothes to look for it. After a moment’s thought, she decided to take Sami to her house and put him on the chaise until he woke. Her parents would be busy until late with a catering order; they wouldn’t know he was there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug dug around for a pillow and blanket while she released her transformation; she deposited the backpack on the floor at the foot of the chaise. Just then her phone buzzed; she glanced at it and found a text from Alya:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A: Girl, did you see what happened today? Some kid got chased over the roofs by an akuma!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>M: Saw some of it. I was on my balcony when they hit the school.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A: Awww! Wish I didn’t have this cold; I could’ve gotten great pix!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>M: I’m just as glad we weren’t there, tbh. That dog-thing had a lot of teeth!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A: Nothing LB and CN couldn’t handle, though. I wish some of the new heroes would come out again; we don’t see them enough, Not that I want tougher akumas, of course.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette shook her head. Alya didn’t have the memories of the Miracle Queen fiasco; she didn’t know she’d never be Rena Rouge again, because Ladybug hadn’t told the former heroes yet. There just hadn’t been a good time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was there ever a good time to deliver news like that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>M: Of course not. That would be crazy!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>M: But you need rest. Go back to bed, Alya.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>M: See you Monday.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette clicked off her phone and went down to put Sami’s thermos in the fridge and fix herself and Tikki a snack. She amused herself for the afternoon by drawing a couple more Manon dress designs and working on a poster for the history project. Nino would be glad that they were still making progress, even if they weren’t at school. She texted a photo of what she’d done to her history partner and was just sitting back with a half-finished knitting project when a phone went off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Realizing it was Sami’s, Marinette got up to grab it and answer it. The notification said: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dad</span>
  </em>
  <span>; she answered the call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, hello. Sami’s not up yet?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai greeted her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, not yet. I brought him to my house since I couldn’t get him in his room.” Marinette flipped the phone around so Nikolai could see his son snoozing on the chaise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s actually good; there’s something I wanted to ask both of you about. I’d ask Adrien too, but after what happened earlier-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s home taking a nap too.” Her voice dropped to a growl. “At least, he’d better be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai rubbed his face, and Marinette saw the veiled fear and relief in his eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I didn’t ask him to do that, and I can’t thank him enough. He stopped Sami from becoming a killer and saved him from exposure too. If there’s anything either of you need- we’re in your debt.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette shook her head. “No, Nikolai; your family is doing enough by helping when rogues and other things that aren’t akumas show up.” She frowned. “I wish I knew why this one was after Sami specifically, though. Normally, akumas that fixate on a target have a reason, but this victim didn’t even know the school, much less anyone in it; he said so in the brief time I spent with him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Maybe Sami can tell us. But speaking of your school- what can you tell me about that one girl- Lila?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette made a face and began to list everything Lila had said to her personally and to the class. “And it’s all lies, but everyone just acts like they believe her!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sami’s new friend pointed out a possible reason why-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami picked that moment to explode awake with a gasp, sitting straight up; Marinette startled and nearly fumbled the phone. Glancing outside, she could see that the sun had set entirely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami was breathing heavily, looking around wildly. His eyes fixed on Marinette. “Where-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My house,” she said. “I couldn’t get you to yours.” She handed him the phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dad?” Sami swung his legs over the side of the chaise. His face fell. “Oh, Detective Guerin’s going to be mad at me- and so’s Mom-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I contacted Guerin and let him know what happened,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai interrupted, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>and your mother is busy with Helaine, so she won’t yell at you yet. Although, I would like to know how you missed your morning feed…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami winced. “I was late, and I didn’t think it was a big deal because I was carrying my emergency kit. But by the time I had a chance to drink my smoothie, I got attacked by an akuma. I used the smoothie to help me get away instead. Then I lost my backpack, too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And do you know why the akuma came after you?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai’s tone was even, but Sami reacted with a nervous twitch. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Sami, did you do something?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well… now I know for sure that M. Agreste is connected to Hawkmoth.” Sami explained about the notes and what the akuma had said; Marinette facepalmed. Sure, that plan had gotten some information- but bribing a kwami to hide eerie messages in Gabriel’s office? Was it worth it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Plagg must have thought so. He probably had a field day with it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai’s face echoed Marinette’s opinion. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Sami, I-“ </span>
  </em>
  <span>he hissed through his teeth. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m really glad you’re all right. And that I can blame this on your being young and reckless.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He paused for a second. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“But back to the original reason, I called. Sami, you said Candace called Lila a ‘lorelei,’ right?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…what about it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ve done some research, and she could be right- or almost right. Lorelei- or sirens, or undines, whatever else they’re called in mythology- don’t generally stray too far from water; while they aren’t fish-tailed or have bird- wings like the stories, they are fantastic swimmers who can hold their breaths for up to ten minutes. Most make their living through fishing or oyster-diving.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai cleared his throat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“However, they got cut a raw deal in at least one way.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How’s that?” Now Marinette was curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Unlike virtually every other thinking species on the planet, their births aren’t evenly split between male and female. Lorelei tend to have seven or eight females for every male child; this means they don’t have the physical capacity for traditional marriages. Most lorelei males are quite pampered and often have multiple mates. But one male can only do so much- and somewhere along the line, the lorelei figured out that the peculiar sonics in their voices, that let them call fish underwater so easily to their nets, also had the ability to hypnotize humans. Thus, unmated lorelei females started hypnotizing human men into- being with them.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai coughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As interesting as this was, Marinette didn’t see the point. “But Lila is human, isn’t she? What does this have to do with her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes, unless you’ve noticed an extra knuckle’s worth of webbing between her fingers, she’s human. Besides, just because lorelei mate with humans doesn’t mean they can have children with them.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Marinette and Sami both flushed a bright red. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>However, the lorelei do have one mental gift- and that is to share their talent with a human. Not sure how that works, but it does. These days, it’s considered payment for seducing a husband away from his family; a lorelei will share her gift with a member of the family in exchange. Does Lila have a father?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette blinked. “I- don’t know. Her mom is part of the Italian Embassy, or at least that’s what she says. But she’s never mentioned her dad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I suspect he either left before she was born or shortly after. The lorelei may have gifted her in order to make sure she could take care of herself.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If so, she’s twisted it to horrible uses,” Sami remarked. “And I can hear the sonics? Is that why her voice puts me on edge?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Exactly. I’m still working on a way to eliminate that ability; my research so far has suggested there are ways, but I haven’t found out what yet. I’ve been a bit- distracted.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, new babies do that,” Sami shared a smile with Marinette. “How’s the farm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leaving Sami to talk to his father, Marinette went downstairs to grab dinner and Sami’s thermos. This was- something she’d never considered; that Lila may have actually affected their classmates into believing those ridiculous stories.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was it holding a Miraculous that let her see through them? Or was it an obviously false story about Ladybug- </span>
  <em>
    <span>herself</span>
  </em>
  <span>- that had broken the spell? Did Lila even know what she was doing?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette shook her head to clear it. She had to tell Adrien about this as soon as possible. And hope that Nikolai’s research could help, for their classmates’ sake.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next, we'll see Adrien's view of what happened.</p><p>Sorry for the late posting; life got in the way. I will try to be a little earlier tomorrow.</p><p>Comments are writer food! Don't let them starve!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Confrontations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gabriel confronts Adrien; Lila confronts Sami.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p><p>(Did I say I'd get this out earlier? I meant 'at all'. Sorry...)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Gabriel met his son at the door that afternoon. “I was under the impression that you had study time planned at the school. With your </span>
  <em>
    <span>classmate.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien ignored the tone his father was using to describe Sami. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I am too tired for this.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Yes, but there was an akuma attack that ended at the school. I knew you would want me home after that.” He yawned, still feeling a little lightheaded. “Between that and an extra-hard practice for the tournament, I need to nap if I’m going to be awake for Chinese.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel frowned. “I expect you to be in better shape than this, Adrien.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Of course, he does. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adrien slogged up the stairs, one hand on the rail. “I’m sorry, Pére.” He stumbled over the last steps and practically tripped into his father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel steadied his son, then raised a brow. He turned Adrien’s left arm up to the light. “This bruise- I haven’t seen it before. Where did you get it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien knew the truth wasn’t an option; he went for ignorance. He glanced at the livid oval mark. “Huh. How’d that get there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel’s voice held cold steel. “You don’t know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Pére.” Adrien closed his eyes, then caught himself as he started to nod. “Sorry. I really need that nap.” Making his way to his room, he barely got to the bed before falling face-first into it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie returned from checking on Adrien. “He’s asleep on his bed; he didn’t even change clothes. I took the liberty of removing his shoes and getting him a blanket; he appeared to be cold. Perhaps he should see a doctor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, not after that last trip to the hospital. His six-month weigh-in is in two weeks; that should be soon enough to see if anything is wrong. He is simply weak. I shall have his fencing increased to improve his stamina.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie wasn’t convinced. Something had changed within hours; Adrien hadn’t been excessively tired that morning. On the contrary, he had been wide awake and eager to go. She had the niggling impression that his exhaustion had something to do with those notes- the ones she had given as Mayura to the akuma and amok that morning, to find who had written them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unless- was it a coincidence? Maybe the two were unrelated…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nooroo. Nathalie. I wish to discuss the young man our akuma found today. Did he look at all familiar?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Master,” the kwami whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie thought. He didn’t look familiar, but with the hood up, hiding his hair, would he? Although- she thought of the sharp-toothed grin the boy gave the akuma, and shuddered. No one human had teeth like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He said we should be asking </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was,” Gabriel mused. “Certainly his teeth were odd.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Good; Nathalie didn’t have to bring it up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master- I saw what you saw,” Nooroo said quietly. “And that boy looked like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>kyūketsuki,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But what, Nooroo?” Gabriel prodded, as the kwami faltered. “What is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>kyūketsuki? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tell me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nooroo shook in midair. “They are creatures who look like humans, but feast on human blood. Sometimes the sacrifice is willing, but more often, it is not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A vampire, then?” Nathalie wasn’t one to give credence to legends, but…she did wield magical jewelry with a powerful being attached to it. Maybe there was truth in other legends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nooroo considered. “Possibly. The only one my holders faced was in Japan, a thousand years ago. But from all I know of them, they are not awake during the day, so it seems impossible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What else do you know of them?” Apparently Gabriel wasn’t discounting the possibility.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Black Cat has the power to destroy them. They are vulnerable to wood and silver. They can take over someone’s mind just by looking in their eyes. The feeding sites are marked by a bruise-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel’s head snapped up; a chill ran down Nathalie’s spine. “You think- Adrien?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps. We shall have to be more careful than ever, Nathalie. If these creatures know enough about me to target my son- he will have to be pulled from school, immediately-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That will do no good. They entered the house undetected to leave those notes; who’s to say they can’t get to any of us, no matter where we are?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then what should I do?” Gabriel snapped. “Leave my son to their revenge? Adrien will die, and I can’t allow that. Go to the police? That will put too much scrutiny on this house, and we’ll sound like lunatics. Bargain with my enemy to destroy this plague? Cat Noir has no reason to side with me; he would walk away and let Adrien be drained if it stopped me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This- thing- cannot hide itself forever, not after today. I’m sure someone got a picture of it. All we need to do is wait- and make a special akuma, out of someone who knows the creature for what it is.” Nathalie smiled at the idea. “Patience, sir. We will find it- and </span>
  <em>
    <span>end</span>
  </em>
  <span> it.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien slept most of Saturday (no one woke him for his Chinese lesson, for which he was grateful) and a good portion of Sunday (no one woke him for the photoshoot, for which he was suspicious). A quick question asked of Nathalie only got him a ‘you were tired’ and a look cold enough to make him drop it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Actually, that only raised his suspicions. No one at home had cared before if he was tired; more often than not, any suggestion along those lines came with an offer to take him out of school. And Plagg was acting entirely too innocent for his comfort level.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One call to Marinette Sunday afternoon netted at least a partial answer. Sami had pranked Adrien’s dad (with Plagg’s help), and Hawkmoth had sent the akuma in retaliation. Not the brightest move on either of their parts, but it did add some clarity. Adrien was now convinced that Gabriel and Nathalie were Hawkmoth and Mayura. The only question left was, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, it wasn’t like he could go and ask. And he wouldn’t ask Plagg to spy- that was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>begging</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be caught.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He found himself putting on the performance of his life for Nathalie- pretending to know nothing and acting perfectly normal. (No need to perform for his father; the man had made himself even scarcer than usual.) All in all, it was a relief to go to school on Monday, where he wouldn’t have to pretend- any more than normal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d half expected to find Lila holding court with a new lie (or an old one- she wasn’t too fussy)- but for once, the girl was off in a corner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With Sami. And the look on his face was so stony, it would have scared anyone with any self-preservation at all. And Lila was wearing a smirk that should have been </span>
  <em>
    <span>outlawed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien crept closer, using all the stealth he’d ever learned since becoming Cat Noir.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-I really should tell everyone,” she was saying. “A danger to the class like this- and Gabriel should know what’s hurting his son.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t hurt anyone,” Sami said tightly. “You can ask Adrien yourself. I don’t know what you thought you saw-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I saw enough,” Lila purred. “Now, I could just ignore it. In fact, if something happened so it was in my best interest to ignore it…who wouldn’t want to be young and pretty forever?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really are delusional. Do you think that’s even possible?” snapped Sami. “Imagine the money someone like that would make, keeping Hollywood from aging if that were true.” He took a step forward. “And think about it. If I were what you said, would you really want to piss me off?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila’s face hardened. “You can’t touch me.” Adrien saw her pull something white out of her pocket, and caught a whiff of- something familiar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami huffed a laugh. “Garlic? I love garlic.” His lips quirked into an almost-smile. “Especially on my food.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila squeaked and backed up a pace before rallying. “If you don’t give me what I want,” she said, nearly growling, “I will make sure the entire school knows about you.” She straightened, swishing her hip-length mane of hair. “I’m sure you’ll see things my way. After all, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you don’t hurt people, </span>
  </em>
  <span>right?” She sauntered off towards their classmates.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami noticed Adrien and sighed. “She saw us. On the roof, although she didn’t say anything about you detransforming, or anything about- your kitten.” He began to head for the classroom, dejection in every line of him. “It’s just like Riva all over again- except she can </span>
  <em>
    <span>make</span>
  </em>
  <span> people believe her. The only advantage I might have is that she didn’t threaten me with ‘proof’, so she probably doesn’t have any.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably counting on convincing people with her tales alone,” agreed Adrien. “It’s worked for her before. I should’ve said something-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>“No, that would’ve made things worse. She’s already threatening to tell your dad, and </span><em><span>that</span></em><span> would be a disaster after the akuma.”</span> <span>Sami stopped outside the door of the room and lowered his voice. “I hate being ethical sometimes.”</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No you don’t,” Adrien tried to make him feel better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I don’t. But just wiping her mind is </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> tempting. Unfortunately, it would be an all-or-nothing thing- I don’t have the control to wipe just one memory.” Sami turned to the door. “I hope Dad finds something else we can use- and quick.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>...okay, we'll see what happens here.</p><p>Let me know your theories/ ideas in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Plan to Slither</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There's really only one option- and the heroes will need help.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p><p>For the conference call: italics are Nikolai; bold is Adrien, and bold italics are Marinette.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well…” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai looked pained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s heart sank. “You didn’t find anything?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A three-way video call was set up between Sami, Nikolai, and Marinette. Adrien had somehow managed to get to Marinette’s house and had joined the call from there. Frankly, Sami was hoping that his dad would have the answer to the Lila problem…but that didn’t seem to be the case.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No, I found a couple of methods. But they…have some problems.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette sighed while Adrien shook his head. </span>
  <b>
    <em>“We’ve only got a few days to figure something out,”</em>
  </b>
  <span> she said. </span>
  <b>
    <em>“Chloe’s got it into her head that if she’s nice enough, she might get the Bee back, so she’s throwing a class pool party Friday afternoon. Lila threatened to out Sami there.”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“Not like Chloe will see the Bee again, ever,” </b>
  <span>muttered Adrien. </span>
  <b>“I think Lila’s the one who convinced her this would work. She certainly got around my dad to get me to go.”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Figures. Drama, attention, her favorite boy in a swimsuit- it sounds like a Lila setup.” Sami watched both Marinette and Adrien blush. “What’s the problem, Dad?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I found two ways to erase the gift- well, three, but the third is a bit cryptic.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai ticked them off on his fingers. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“First, ask the gifting lorelei to revoke her gift. The problem with that is that we don’t know who that is, and trying to find out will take too long.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sami shook his head; that one wouldn’t work.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “Second, cut out the person’s tongue.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All three kids shuddered at that. “Eurgh, Dad! Even Lila doesn’t deserve that!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You asked.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai shrugged. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“That leaves the third, which I only found one short reference for. ‘A snake’s song can break a siren.’ Not sure what that means, but it-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“-might make more sense than you think,” </em>
  </b>
  <span>Marinette interrupted. She glanced at Adrien.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“Are you thinking about-“</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Yes. Let me see.” </em>
  </b>
  <span>Marinette stepped out of frame as Adrien watched, an interested look on her face. </span>
  <b>
    <em>“I remember,” </em>
  </b>
  <span>there was a muffled ‘thud’ off-camera, </span>
  <b>
    <em>“a story Sass told about one of his holders- I think his name was Orpheus.” </em>
  </b>
  <span>She slipped back into the frame, handing a bracelet to Adrien, who put it on</span>
  <b>. </b>
  <b>
    <em>“Orpheus was a part of Greek legend, but he was a real person- a Snake Miraculous holder. According to legend, his music was so strong it defeated the sirens the Argonauts encountered, and they killed themselves; Sass said it was more likely they just dived into the sea to avoid the angry sailors.”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien had acquired a ‘listening’ pose. </span>
  <b>“This is Sass- oh, you can’t see him on camera. He says that Orpheus wasn’t his only holder who defeated a troop of lorelei. St. Patrick of Ireland didn’t chase the snakes out of Ireland into the sea; he was a Snake holder who chased a troop of lorelei out of Ireland into the sea.”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That makes sense, then. I knew there was a Snake Miraculous, but I didn’t know what it did,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>said Nikolai.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Well, that’s not actually the main thing, but it’s –something that’s possible?”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“Sass says that his holder would have to be an outstanding musician to make it work.”</b>
  <span> Adrien tapped his finger on his chin. </span>
  <b>“I probably couldn’t do it.”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Kitty, I’d rather have you around for backup anyway.” </em>
  </b>
  <span>Marinette smiled at her partner. </span>
  <b>
    <em>“But we can’t ask Viperion either; since the temporary heroes got outed, there would be too many problems if he was seen.”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, what options do we have?” Sami’s nerves were strung too tight; he wanted a solution. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t take another situation like Riva!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette was checking something off-camera. </span>
  <b>
    <em>“We need someone who has a reason to be nearby. I have an idea. Just trust me.”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“-so you understand our concern,” Ladybug explained. “This girl has already interfered with both akuma attacks and her classmates; and now that someone’s figured out </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> she’s doing it, we need help to prevent a bigger problem.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And if she thought about it, she wasn’t lying. Lila was a hazard, not only to Sami, but to anyone who got on her bad side. Add to that her astonishing ability to become an akuma, even when not actually upset, and there was no way Lila could safely remain in Paris.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m flattered you asked,” came the reply she’d been hoping for. “But why me?” Jagged Stone reclined on the couch, scratching Fang behind the eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re already here at the Grand Paris, so it shouldn’t be hard to get you in place Friday afternoon.” Ladybug paused. “Unless you have a concert then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no; I’m here to work on another album. The new tour doesn’t start for a month; Penny just told me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was something </span>
  <em>
    <span>Marinette</span>
  </em>
  <span> had known, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ladybug </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t. She smiled with relief that nothing else had come up. “Anyway, since we have time to plan, I’d like you to learn something about the Miraculous today so you’ll be ready.” Ladybug held out a box. “Jagged Stone, this is the Miraculous of the Snake, which grants the power of Intuition. You will use it for the greater good; when the mission is complete, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jagged’s eyes were wide. “Rockin’,” he whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While Sass and Ladybug spoke with Jagged, Cat Noir was talking to Penny in the other room. “I know we don’t have any proof Lila lied about knowing Jagged, but-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, but I think this girl needs some warning,” the purple-haired assistant said. “If people believe her lie, Jagged’s reputation would suffer. Writing a song for an underage girl, no matter the reason, would get all the wrong people looking for evidence to slander Jagged with a pedophilia charge. We would have to sue her for defamation just to save face.” Penny clicked her pen, her nervous tic. “And if she actually tries to fake some kind of ‘proof’? The legal battle would be horrible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug came into the room. “Jagged needs a minute. I know this is unusual, Mme. Rolling, and I don’t intend to repeat this, but it is a unique situation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can imagine. How would this girl get a magical ability, anyway?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir grimaced. “If we knew that, we probably wouldn’t have had to ask for help. And Jagged can’t use the Miraculous outside of this one time; we had to tell you too, and people aren’t supposed to know a hero’s identity.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understood. And frankly, Jagged doesn’t have the time to be a hero. He’s barely in Paris as it is.” Penny smiled at the heroes. “But Jagged has a soft spot for Marinette, and would do this just to help her, never mind stopping someone who was lying about him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Penny didn’t notice Ladybug’s pink cheeks, as a flash of teal light from the other room had all three of them turning toward the door. Cat Noir had to admit to being a little jealous of Jagged’s transformed look; instead of the sleek lines most heroes had, Jagged had a jacket-and- pants combo similar to his performance gear- loose enough to move, but still fitted. The colors were all Sass; light and dark teal scale-like patches with diamonds of gold running up the back, over the shoulder, and down the asymmetric close on the front. Black gloves with teal fingers covered his hands, and his boots looked like pure snakeskin. His hair was still black-purple and wild, but had acquired a few teal streaks in the front and in the beard. What there was of his mask was minimal, barely a teal-and-fang scaled rim around his eyes and not crossing his nose..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s your lyre?” Cat Noir asked. It wasn’t anywhere he could see, as Jagged pirouetted slowly for their inspection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jagged laughed as he pulled his lyre out from under the edge of the coat in the back. “What good’s a weapon if anyone can see where it is?” he asked. “Then you just look dangerously obvious. Don’t worry, little Lady- bug,” he added, as Ladybug and Cat Noir exchanged glances. “This is gonna be rockin’!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This will be fun! I've been waiting for snek!Jagged to show up!</p><p>Please leave thoughts/ ideas below! Comments are love!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Snake by the Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Our favorite musician becomes a hero- with and without a Miraculous.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p><p>I like snek!Jagged!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jagged Stone had wondered what Ladybug meant, when she said that this Lila girl was a magical liar. Now that he was transformed and hidden near her, it made sense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The party had started only twenty minutes ago. To avoid the wind on wet swimmers, the hotel had put up wind baffles near the line of plants separating the pool area from the roof maintenance access. Jagged’s room was near enough to the stairwell that it was ridiculously easy to sneak in, transform, and climb the stairs. As he settled in a chair, lyre in hand, he glanced at the odd, large lump in the corner. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it was a spotlight, but it was covered so he couldn’t see it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had a feeling things wouldn’t take long to start, so he set the Second Chance as he settled in to listen. The kids were easy to hear. One, he identified as Marinette, was offering macarons from her parents’ bakery to the group. Another voice raised itself over the pleased murmurs of the others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Marinette, how </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> you forget? I’m deathly allergic to almonds! No one had better touch me if they’ve touched a macaron!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This must be Lila, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jagged thought, as he heard a flurry of apologies from the other teens. Sass had said he would be able to sense the odd rhythms under her voice that let her convince people, and he could; it wasn’t a </span>
  <em>
    <span>sound</span>
  </em>
  <span>, exactly, but the pulse of it was something he could feel all over his skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He plucked a few notes, listening to the odd tone whenever the girl spoke, and trying to find the anti-tone that would flatten the pulse. Fortunately, she liked to talk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, he was playing too loud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>doing here??!” The mayor’s daughter peeked behind the baffle to glare at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Second Chance!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>**************</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dropping the decibel level didn’t seem to affect his ability to interfere with the weird tone, but it also didn’t erase it completely. Jagged reset again and again; every time he got closer to breaking the tone, but there was something missing, something he wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing right…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t quit! Not when Marinette, Ladybug, and their friends were counting on him!</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Five rounds of </span><em><span>almost-there, </span></em><span>listening to Lila over and over,</span> <span>and Jagged suddenly had an epiphany. He reset once again.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Second Chance!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>**************</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jagged had it this time. All his previous attempts had been solely with the lyre; the tone he was trying to counter was </span>
  <em>
    <span>vocal.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He added his voice to his attempt, vocalizing wordlessly in tune as he strummed the lyre.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That did it; he could sense the odd pulse flattening out and vanishing. The little Lila girl kept speaking, but Jagged could feel the difference.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite</span>
  </em>
  <span> as nice as the pool in Prince Achu’s palace, of course, but then, when you’re being entertained by a prince, you only get to see the best!” she was chattering. “I’m sure this was the best that the hotel could do; it’s just smaller than I expected.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No, the pulse was gone. Jagged doubted the liar noticed, since she hadn’t stopped her crazy talk for a single breath. He tucked the lyre into the hidden pocket at the back of his jacket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adrien, why don’t you take off your cover-up? I’ll help you with the sunscreen!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jagged heard two quiet high-pitched whistles coming from either side of the speaker; both seemed outraged instead of elated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lila, I’m not swimming, and my dad doesn’t want me to risk a burn. I’ll just stay here in the shade; you go have fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Scales rest.” Jagged was back in his signature black-and-yellow outfit. After checking that Sass had a small snack and tucking him into the jacket, he listened for another second.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That Lila girl was talking again. And this time- “Oh, I can’t swim either. Ever since I got tinnitus saving Jagged Stone’s kitten, my ears just hurt in water!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>was an invitation if ever he’d heard one. Making sure the bracelet was hidden up his sleeve, Jagged rounded the wind baffle and strolled into the party. “Hello, kids!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To say the party came to a standstill would be accurate, but misleading. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Everyone </span>
  </em>
  <span>came to a dead halt, gaping at the party crasher.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“M. Stone? H-how did- </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> are you here?” stuttered a small girl with multi-colored dreads.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who, me? I came up here for the view, and I heard my favorite little lady talking. Where is she?” He pretended to glance around, hand shading his eyes. “There you are!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette was standing next to the blond model, Adrien. And hanging on Adrien’s arm in a way that Jagged remembered from a few former fangirls was an olive-eyed brunette. Said brunette had an almost panicked look on her face, and Adrien winced and tried to twitch away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Marinette!” Jagged swept through the crowd and lifted Marinette off the ground in a hug. “How’s my honorary niece?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhh…fine. Fine. Everything’s good, Uncle Jagged.” Her eyes said otherwise as he set her down; Jagged could tell she was nervous and a little scared. Of what, he couldn’t be sure- but he’d make it okay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Marinette, I have this </span>
  <em>
    <span>bangin’</span>
  </em>
  <span> idea for a new stage outfit. Can I get you to make it in time for my next tour?” Jagged put on a pleading look and clasped his hands under his chin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhh… sure, Uncle Jagged. Can we go discuss it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He waved a hand. “Tomorrow is good enough; I’ll want to stop by the bakery and see your parents, too. But introduce me to your friends! I think I’ve seen this face before!” Jagged beamed at the blond model, who smiled back, eyes lighting up. A true fan, then.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is Adrien, Uncle Jagged.” Marinette paused at that, hesitating to name the brunette. But her friends did so for her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, you know Lila already, M. Stone,” said a bespectacled redhead, who had her phone out and was filming the whole scene. She waved a free hand at the brunette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I?” Jagged made a show of squinting at the girl, whose grip on Adrien’s arm was making the boy wince again. “Can’t say I remember you from anywhere. Where did we meet again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She saved your kitten from being run over on an airplane runway, M. Stone!” A muscled swimmer came up beside the group. “She even got tinnitus from it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh. Never had a cat,” Jagged mused, then snapped his fingers. “Maybe it was one of my impersonators. Some of those guys are pretty convincing- I swear I saw Elvis in Belarus on my last tour!” He patted Lila’s shoulder, ignoring the shade of puce her face was reaching. “Don’t be disappointed- if you need introductions to real people, ask Marinette! She knows everyone worth knowing!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Okay, Jagged knew he was laying it on thick, but the look on Lila’s face was priceless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, it’s Fang’s dinnertime. My main croc gets cranky if he’s not fed promptly. I’ll call you tomorrow, Marinette, yeah?” Marinette nodded, and waved as Jagged moved towards the elevators. “Rock on, kids!” he said as he stepped into one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the doors closed, he sighed in relief. Sass popped out of the jacket and regarded the rocker thoughtfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You did quite well, M. Stone. The lorelei’s song is broken, as Ladybug requested. And your- adopted niece? now has your public approval among her friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes…but that Lila girl still told lies about me.” Jagged smiled as a thought struck him. “But Penny’ll take care of her. Just wait and see.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So- Jagged did as asked- and then a little more. What could happen there?</p><p>Please let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Accuse and Accept</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lila accuses Sami, and accepts a butterfly.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey, Lila, it’s okay. You didn’t know it wasn’t Jagged Stone,” Rose was trying to comfort the girl, who had burst into tears as soon as Jagged left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Why would Jagged lie about meeting me? Marinette must have put him up to it!” sobbed Lila (or maybe not- Sami could see from where he was that Lila’s face wasn’t actually damp).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t make sense, Lila; Marinette’s known Jagged for ages- ever since she made him his glasses,” said Alya, as she put away her phone. “And she looked surprised to see him here-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sure- like she’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>lie!, But she has- her and Sami both!” Lila snapped. Both Alya and Rose stepped back, as the rest of the class looked at each other in confusion. “Sami’s been lying ever since he got here! But I saw what he really is!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a strange thing to say. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span> he is’?” Alix narrowed her eyes at Lila. “Alright then, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>is he?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila straightened; with a quivering lip, she glared at Sami. “He’s a vampire!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her declaration was greeted by silence as everyone glanced at Sami and then back to her. Sami made sure his expression revealed nothing. Then-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“pfft…” Alix started to laugh, which set off Kim. The rest of the class was either hiding grins behind their hands or not bothering to hide them at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you serious?” Kim howled. “This guy, right here?” He slung an arm over Sami’s shoulder; Sami started in surprise. “Who’s been here all afternoon, swimming and </span>
  <em>
    <span>sunbathing?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes! I saw him!” Lila stamped her foot, wearing an injured expression. Adrien gasped and tried once more to pull away. “He was sucking Adrien’s blood last week!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lila, </span>
  <em>
    <span>let go!!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adrien pulled hard away from the Italian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfazed, Lila pointed at Sami. “He’s a threat! He probably came here to find more victims; I bet the police in Orleans are looking for a killer!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nino squinted at Lila’s hand. “Lila, why are your fingers red?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whole class stared first at Lila’s hand, and then at Adrien. The model was holding his arm and bleeding from several cuts. A collective gasp was heard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lila, I think you’d better go,” Marinette said in the hardest voice any of her classmates had heard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But-“ Lila glanced around at her classmates. There was no quarter for her in any of their eyes. Picking up her bag, she stalked towards the elevator. As she passed Sami, she hissed, “You and I both know the truth- and I will come after you with more than you can stand!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami said nothing; just let her walk into the elevator. It seemed like whatever Ladybug had planned had worked; no one believed Lila. Her vocal trick must have been destroyed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just wished he knew if that made things better or worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Penny knew the second Jagged walked in that his scheme had been successful; he was chattering animatedly to his jacket (weird, but not the weirdest thing he’d ever done). Penny excused herself to go down to the lobby.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After all, this girl needed a talking-to. Preferably private, but if she insisted on making a scene, Penny would roll with that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had made sure to check the Ladyblog for a picture of the girl in question, along with any lies she told that could get her into trouble. Not that Penny was looking for trouble; her goal was to prevent it. This Lila Rossi probably had no clue about the legal ramifications of her lies; Penny wanted to make sure she did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That way, if she continued, well… the lawsuit would be her own fault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To that end, Penny was going to record this conversation on her phone. That way, if the liar claimed to have no idea that what she was doing was wrong, there would be proof that she had been told.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she made herself comfortable in the chairs near the elevators, Penny idly wondered how long she would have to wait. The party could go on a while, but if Chat Noir had pegged the girl’s personality-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elevators dinged, and Lila came out, looking fit to burst. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, that didn’t take long.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Penny activated the video on her phone before tucking it along the top of her clipboard. She stood to walk to Lila-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And noticed the girl’s face change, from a thundercloud to a vindictive grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila trotted across the foyer, towards a black butterfly flitting in the doors. Reaching out to the creature, she pulled it to herself and touched it to her bag. It promptly turned a purple-black as a glowing pink outline appeared over Lila’s features.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Penny checked the camera quickly; yes, it was picking up all of it. Everything the girl did, everything she said- caught on the camera.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the girl transformed in a rush of purple-black, Penny did the hardest thing she’d ever done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sat back down and pretended to ignore the new akuma- all the while texting Jagged and Marinette. The less threatening she looked, the safer she was. And at least they would be warned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The akuma turned and ran back to the elevator, entering into one being vacated by a couple. Penny’s second act was to call the police. She had a video for them.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ooohhh...what will Lila do?</p><p>Please tell me what you think (suspect) in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Hidden</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>While the class figure things out, Lila comes back.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chloe had had Jean bring up a first-aid kit for Adrien’s arm, while Marinette took pictures of the injury to forward to M. Agreste. Sami thought that staying away from the whole operation was the better part of discretion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That, and the smell of blood was making his mouth water. Given Lila’s accusation, no one needed to see that. He picked up a couple of macarons on his way to the other side of the pool, just to have something to put in his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was quite odd. I have never known Lila to make such a wild accusation,” Max stated. He and Ivan were sitting on one side of the pool, feet dangling in the water. Juleka and Rose swam over to join the group, putting their arms up on the edge as Mylene sat next to Ivan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now that I think about it, though…” Rose had a far-off look in her eyes. “Isn’t she the one who accused Marinette of all those things?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like what?” Sami guessed, from what Adrien had said, that Marinette and Lila had had some kind of clash that resulted in Marinette getting expelled briefly, and Adrien’s deal that got her back. But no one had ever given him the specifics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group gave him a rundown of that fateful day: the answer key in Marinette’s bag, the stairs incident, the necklace found in Marinette’s locker- and the scarlet akumas that flooded the locker room. “Marinette has always said that Lila is a liar, but she’s never given any proof.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why should she?” Sami asked. “Mme. Mendeleiev taught us last week that you can’t prove a negative. The burden of proof is on the one making the claim. Has Lila ever given proof of anything? Independent, third-party, verifiable proof?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, she did have some photos- and her necklace was in Marinette’s locker-“ Sami could hear doubt beginning to creep into Juleka’s voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t mean Marinette took it. There’s a bunch of ways it could’ve gotten there; our lockers aren’t the most secure.” Ivan’s brow wrinkled. “And- it just doesn’t fit with how Marinette is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’d know better than I would,” Sami shrugged. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Play innocent.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “But it was Lila’s other claims that made me wonder. How did she meet all those people? She’s our age! And how is she not at least bedridden from every condition she has?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well…” Mylene’s eyes grew thoughtful. “Maybe she was…” She didn’t complete the thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami sighed quietly and looked away. At least they were thinking now- and more to the point, </span>
  <em>
    <span>weren’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>thinking about what Lila had said about him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elevator dinged, and Lila walked back into the pool area. A frisson ran up Sami’s spine; her eyes from here looked a different color- a more intense green than he’d seen before, and- had her bag been black?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” she said, putting on a hurt and sorrowful face. “I think I left my phone up here; can someone help me find it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, Lila!” Sabrina leaped up and trotted over to the brunette. The two of them walked over to the portable changing area that had been set up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette and Adrien gave each other a look and moved toward the line of trees that screened the pool from the maintenance access. Sami had a feeling they’d seen what he had and were just as suspicious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sabrina came out of the changing area and moved over to Sami’s group. “Hey, did anyone see Lila’s phone?” she asked, staring directly at Sami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All his alarm instincts were going off. Why was Sabrina now carrying Lila’s bag? And that intense green gaze- wasn’t Sabrina’s green. This green was almost electric. Sami got up, ready to bolt-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-And Sabrina </span>
  <em>
    <span>(only it isn’t her, is it?</span>
  </em>
  <span>) seized his arm with nails that were longer and pointier than normal for anyone. “You know where it is, don’t you?” came the sweet voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami ripped his arm free and backed away as far as he could. Not-Sabrina stalked after him, with a hand slipping into her bag.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sabrina!” Chloe stomped over to the group. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not-Sabrina casually pushed Chloe away, sending her stumbling into the pool. Sami couldn’t spare her much thought at the moment, as the hand came out of the bag holding a wicked-looking wooden stake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d have rolled his eyes if he wasn’t so focused on the threat disguised as a classmate. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She’s going for the wooden stake through the heart thing? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Wood itself wasn’t a problem for him, but…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s that for, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lila?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sami asked, hands up as he backed away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not Lila, Sami. Don’t you know me?” The contrast between the sweet voice and the homicidal stalking was unnerving. “Does anybody truly know anyone?” Not-Sabrina’s face twisted into a snarl. “Like no one knows you. Except me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She lunged; Sami tried to dodge to the side, but slipped on a puddle of water and sprawled on the tile between two loungers. Scrambling to get to his feet, he was grabbed again and thrown against the balustrade lining the roof.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is what </span>
  <em>
    <span>your kind</span>
  </em>
  <span> deserves,” hissed the akuma. She held him down with one hand to his neck, raised her arm to plunge the stake- and a thrown baton knocked it out of the akuma’s hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not-Sabrina shrieked and grabbed Sami’s shirt in both hands, lifting him up and throwing him off the roof. Sami had a heart-stopping second to contemplate his future as street pizza (uncontrolled fall + city traffic= flat vampire) before a spotted heroine seized his waist and swung him back to the roof.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami had never been so glad to see Ladybug; he almost couldn’t make his arms let go as she set him near the stairwell. “Run down to the lobby; we’ll keep her up here,” she instructed. Sami nodded shakily and took off down the metal stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>In the lobby there was a handful of policemen and Detective Guerin. Sami caught the detective’s eye, who excused himself from the purple-haired woman and hustled Sami off to a corner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell me what’s happening,” Guerin ordered. Sami did, from the plan to break Lila’s ability, to the confrontation with Jagged and Lila, to her returning to look for her phone only to have another classmate attack him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh. Sounds like she’s Chameleon again, but with a better weapon set.” Guerin glanced over to the lady with the clipboard. “Mme. Rolling over there got video of her going after an akuma; it may have been intended for her, but she went up to it, and that makes her a willing accomplice to Hawkmoth.” The detective grinned. “I don’t think she’ll be bothering anyone for a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir?” A uniformed officer came up to Guerin. “All the exits are covered, and the rooftop is being watched. The battle seems contained for now; we’ll be notified if it moves. The girl’s mother has been located, and she’s on her way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good; thank you.” The officer nodded and moved away. “This is out of your hands now, Sami. Just sit where you’ll be safe, and we’ll take care of the rest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Guerin guided Sami to a seat in the lobby, out of view of most of the activity. Sami could hear the voices in the lobby, but couldn’t understand the conversation; he was thinking about how it all could’ve gone horribly wrong…how it still could go wrong…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hands started to shake, and he gripped them into fists to get them to stop. His throat clenched. He wished his backpack wasn’t still on the roof.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The voices in the lobby got louder. Apparently, the proprietor of the hotel was asking the policemen to leave- or to at least stay outside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elevator dinged, and some of his classmates spilled out of it. One was Juleka, and she looked around the lobby, holding a familiar black backpack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The police spotted the teens and went to talk to them. Juleka spoke softly with an officer and was pointed in Sami’s direction. Sami flinched, until he got a good look at Juleka’s eyes- they were their normal brown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cat Noir said to bring you this,” she muttered, hanging her head so that her hair fell into her eyes. She plopped into the chair across from him. “That fight was getting freaky- he told us to leave while we could.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makes sense. Fewer people to protect, easier to fight.” Sami dug a protein bar out of his backpack- not that he wouldn’t love a vial of blood right now, but… witnesses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, a wooden stake, huh? She must really think you’re a vampire.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami snorted. He really was not going to talk about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too bad. It would be cool if you were.” Juleka brushed her hair back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think so?” Suddenly Sami was just- tired. Tired of hiding, tired of holding back. “Being seen as an enemy to humanity because of what you are? Having your diet be something socially unacceptable? Having to keep hiding?” Sami shook his head. “Doesn’t sound that cool to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Juleka tilted her head. “Maybe. But people can be a lot more accepting than you think. Maybe it’s hard to trust, but- real friends will have your back.” She gave Sami a small smile, then stood and wandered back to the group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami sat, and thought about it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes, Sami has some thinkin' to do.</p><p>Please let me know what you think of the story!</p><p>(The Lila poster stated in her one of her comments that she loved it when her comments were deleted. Well, far be it from me to deny her any scrap of joy such a person can find- so I deleted all of them. Without approving them, of course. So if she wishes to send more to my inbox, she may do so- I will simply give her what she has already stated she loves.)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. One Down, Two to Go</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>With Lila gone, Adrien talks to his father.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Lila, deakumatized and angry, was dropped into the officer’s waiting hands not ten minutes later. Marinette and Adrien made an appearance in the crowd outside the hotel as she was taken away, screaming about vampires and her diplomatic immunity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea what she’s talking about,” Adrien heard her mother say to one of the officers. “I’m just a secretary at the embassy; I don’t get any special privileges.” Her eyes were teary. “My poor girl must be sick…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll have her evaluated, Mme. Rossi.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette pulled Adrien out of the crowd. “And that gets her effectively out of our hair. Now it’s only Hawkmoth and Mayura we need to worry about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien frowned. “Yeah…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Sorry.” Marinette winced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s not that. If Hawkmoth knew enough to send an akuma after Sami twice- he might not be safe for very long. We may have to move sooner than we’re ready.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go see how he’s doing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them walked over to their friend, who was standing with Detective Guerin. While the detective had his notepad out, the two of them were talking too intensely for any notes to be taken.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-anytime soon?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami shrugged. “I don’t really contact them; they come to me. Maybe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we finally have some intel, but we need to ask them some things before we can move. If you see them-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll let them know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The detective nodded and moved over to the car, getting in next to a uniformed officer. Sami sighed, shoulders slumping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette went over and put her hand on Sami’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“…yeah. Detective Guerin wants to talk to Ladybug and Cat Noir; he asked me if I had a way to contact them.” He threw an ironic glance at Marinette and Adrien. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll check on me; they seem the type to do that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien spotted the Gorilla pulling up at the curb. “Yeah, they do. Maybe later tonight?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette and Sami nodded. “You’ll be okay?” Marinette added quietly to Adrien.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien couldn’t help it- his heart sped up at her care for him. “I’ll be fine. Pére won’t be pleased about my arm, but maybe it’ll distract him from doing anything else tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette nodded. “I’ll put my suit on and visit Jagged to get Sass back; call me when you’re able to join me.”  She twitched as if she wanted to say something else; then she patted his arm and stepped away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien headed for the car, already planning out in his head what he might say to his father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He’d expected his dad to know about the akuma. That only made sense if he was Hawkmoth. But for Pére to just shrug off Lila and focus on Sami- that was kind of unexpected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you know about that boy, really?” The narrowed grey eyes were trying to bore into Adrien’s from the other end of the dining-room table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged, putting down his fork and ticking things off on his fingers. “He plays violin, he studies hard, he has no interest in fashion, he just got a new baby sister, he has a girlfriend he emails almost every night…why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He may be a leech, trying to use you-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where on earth would you get that idea?” Adrien sat up straight, his temper fraying. “If you want to talk leeches, what about Lila?” He brandished his bandaged arm. “A girl who literally had her claws dug into me? You’ve never said anything about her!” He got up from the table, done with the topic. “I’m glad she got arrested for colluding with Hawkmoth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was what?” Pére looked as if he’d been smacked in the back of the head with a blunt instrument.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Arrested. I guess when you run to grab an akuma instead of being targeted by one, you become a willing accomplice to domestic terrorism.” Adrien shouldn’t have gotten that much satisfaction out of the mix of emotions that briefly crossed his father’s face; he only hoped his own emotions weren’t that obvious. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh well, if he asks, I can say I’m just glad my harasser is gone.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He decided to twist the knife a little. “I think I should add sexual harassment charges since I’ve asked her to not to touch me before. Nathalie, did you get the pictures Marinette sent?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie shook her head as if waking up and checked her tablet. “There is a file from Mlle. Dupain-Cheng; I’ll forward it to the appropriate parties.” She breathed deeply. “Your schedule for tomorrow will be in your email. Please check it before you go to bed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” He turned to his father. “I’m not hungry anymore. May I be excused?” he said, his tone flat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pére waved a hand, not even looking at Adrien anymore. Taking that as permission, Adrien turned and jogged up the stairs to his room, already thinking of meeting Sami and the detective. If Sami was his father’s main concern, they had no time to lose.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“So, we have no way to tell if Mlle. Rossi was correct about the farmboy.” Nathalie regarded her employer warily as they stepped back into his office.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“True. And we have also lost her services in triggering akumas.” Gabriel stared at the painting of his wife as if it held the secrets of the universe. “Let us wait a few days. Two akumas after the same person so close together might attract attention; let us focus on other targets for a while.” His voice hardened. “And we shall leave Mlle. Rossi alone. She has outlived her usefulness if she has attracted police interest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathalie privately felt the Rossi girl had been a liability for longer than that, so she wasn’t going to argue. Pulling up some business items on her tablet, she went over to Gabriel. “There are some items for the business that need your approval…”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And what would Guerin like to discuss?</p><p>Please leave your thoughts/ ideas/ theories in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Plans and Police</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ladybug and Cat Noir pay a visit to Detective Guerin.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p><p>Kind of a short chapter, but I didn't want to split the next one anywhere awkward.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adrien gave Plagg a wheel of Camembert and barely waited for him to finish it before transforming and leaping out of the window. As he ran across roofs, he saw his Lady paralleling his course. Adjusting his path to intercept her, he bounced to a stop on a roof halfway to Sami’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, what do you think?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think,” Ladybug said, pursing her lips, “that whatever Detective Guerin has to say is important enough to hear him out.” She gave Cat Noir an anxious look. “I’m…scared for you. Being in the house with your dad- knowing that he’s Hawkmoth-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he interrupted. “It worries me too; I’m afraid I’ll slip up all the time. Maybe the detective will have good news. Let’s go see.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both got a running start and leaped toward the apartment building where Sami lived.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A knock on the window, and Sami opened it. “Come in,” he said, and ducked out the door of his room to get the detective.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Guerin strode into the room and regarded the two heroes. “That was fast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was?” Cat Noir blinked innocently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I asked Sami if he had a way to get ahold of you; I thought he or Nikolai might, after the things I’ve seen before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, we just wanted to check on Sami after today’s attack,” Ladybug said smoothly. “Especially since Lila was involved.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh? What makes her so special?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apparently, she’d somehow been gifted by a lorelei, so she could make people believe her lies. Ladybug and Cat Noir found out and did something about it,” Sami interjected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Truthfully, she has been making our jobs tougher for a while now, so when we learned </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>she was doing it, we made it a priority to take that away.” Cat Noir grinned at Guerin. “It’ll be a relief not to deal with her, although she should be out of the city so that Hawkmoth can’t send her another akuma.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No worries; we thought of that, and she’s being held outside the city limits. But what we need to know now,” Guerin said, “is what capabilities Hawkmoth might have. We’ve finally traced the butterflies- to the Agreste mansion.” As he pulled out his phone, he narrowed his eyes at the heroes. “You don’t seem surprised.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve suspected him before.” Ladybug shrugged. “But he managed to akumatize himself, so we thought maybe we were wrong. It makes sense, though- all except for why.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We might have some idea about the ‘why’, but no concrete facts. Here.” Guerin handed his phone to the duo; Sami craned his head to see too. There were a bunch of photos, shot from outside windows and at some distance, but unmistakable; Hawkmoth and Gabriel standing in a room with white butterflies; another room with greenery and some kind of grey thing Gabriel was standing in front of with a bouquet in his hand; another picture of the first room, only Mayura was behind Hawkmoth, and in the next photo, they were both detransforming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s one way to get this over with quickly,” Guerin said. “How bulletproof are the Miraculous suits?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat Noir’s heart took a dive for his boots; Ladybug turned white under her mask. “We…don’t know, and we’re not willing to find out,” said Ladybug shakily. “There’s got to be another way…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Guerin shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “It was an option. Not an ideal one, but domestic terror is a hot political potato. I know, I know, no lasting damage,” he waved at Ladybug, who closed her mouth. “Hawkmoth and his sidekick are still instigators, and people are scared. So the faster we deal with this, the better, and there’s a lot of pressure from above to get it taken care of quickly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We will help any way we can, Detective,” Cat Noir said quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm. D’you think the Agreste kid is involved?” Guerin turned to Sami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt it. Adrien wears his heart on his sleeve; if he were involved, he couldn’t keep it a secret for long.” Cat Noir had to work to keep his face still at Sami’s assessment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s my read on him too; Child Services has been investigating his life recently, and they haven’t uncovered anything about him. If anything, the poor kid doesn’t have </span>
  <em>
    <span>time</span>
  </em>
  <span> to help his father be a supervillain.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That last statement almost broke Cat Noir’s stoic face; he so badly wanted to laugh at the detective. Then his brain caught up. “Wait- you’re investigating Adrien?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only to see if it’s necessary to get him away from his father. Remember when Nikolai came the first time?” Both heroes nodded. “M. Agreste made an impression on me then, and also on the doctors. They’re the ones who filed the request to investigate; I think they suspect some kind of abuse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” He’d had no idea…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug had that crease between her brows that Cat Noir knew from many akuma attacks. His Lady was creating a plan. “If we have the help of the police- and maybe Adrien’s; Cat Noir can ask- I think we can do this without bloodshed. How about this…”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There's a plot brewing...</p><p>Let me know your ideas/ theories in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Hide or Free</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami spends some time at the Couffaines' boat, and has a talk with Nino and Alya.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p><p>(You probably want to know what's happening with Adrien's dad. It's coming; patience.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sami moped his way to the houseboat the next morning. Saturday mornings had quickly become something to look forward to; playing the violin was something he hadn’t realized he’d miss so much when he left home. But, what Juleka had said the night before weighed on him, and he wasn’t sure what he would say when he saw her again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t expected to find most of the class on the boat. His breathing picked up, and he started to shake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luka put a hand on his elbow. “Nothing to see here; move along,” he announced to the waiting crowd as he moved Sami to the rear of the houseboat. “I think everyone forgot that you’d have had a rough night. Need a minute?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Why is everyone here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not sure. Juleka said there was something in the group chat last night about you, so maybe they’re all here to ask you about it. I would’ve thought they’d know better than to do it as a horde, though.” Luka patted his shoulder. “Jules and I are on your side; we’ll keep the wolves at bay. Violin’s next to you, if you feel like playing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami laughed a little. As Luka left him alone, he pulled a water bottle out of his backpack. After a drink, he tuned the violin and did a few practice runs. Luka was right, he did feel like playing; losing himself in the music helped him center himself, and with the amps on the other side of the boat, it was soft enough to be soothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” said Nino as he stepped into the space near Sami. “Sorry we overwhelmed you there, but can you lay off the sad songs? Everybody’s sniffling, and they want to swamp you with hugs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami looked up and played a quick phrase.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never mind, that’s worse.” Nino shuddered. “How do you make ‘it’s a small world’ sound sarcastic?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami sighed as he put down the violin. “It’s fine, Nino. No big deal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya popped her head over Nino’s shoulder. “Well- it is, kind of. I went hunting through Lila’s claims last night like I should’ve done a long time ago,” she said, ducking her head. “I found out she’d been lying to us all along.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was- really good at convincing people. I’m not surprised.” Sami picked up his bottle for a sip of water.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah- I owe Marinette a big apology.” Alya looked away as Nino moved to sit beside him. “But I did find one thing about you. A video some girl named Riva made.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami dropped the metal bottle with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>clang.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He wanted to curl up and disappear- he didn’t need that kind of harassment again! All for something, he couldn’t help! “Alya, I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nino gripped his arm. “It’s okay; that video was the one Adrien told us about, right? The reason you don’t want your picture anywhere?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya took his hand; Sami refused to look at her, lest his telepathy get away from him in his fear. “But that’s the second person who thought you were a vampire, so…we wanted to ask if it was true.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, so the whole class knows about Riva’s video. Fantastic.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Why would it be?” The words came out with more bitterness than Sami expected. He pulled his hand out of Alya’s grip. “Why would any of that be true?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya was calm, which Sami couldn’t remember her having been ever since he’d met her. “Well, we do live in a city of akumas and superheroes. Vampires aren’t much of a stretch. And I was thinking- back a couple of months ago, Marinette was disappearing and fainting for a while, and then she got better. But there hasn’t been anything like that since then- I checked-, so…either you’re a different kind of vampire, or something about you just makes people believe you’re one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Varujan.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Of course, someone would connect the dots. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Sami pulled his legs up on the bench, wrapping his arms around his knees and tucking his head down. He wished there was a pillow handy- Sami didn’t want to scare anyone by screaming his head off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nino put his arm around his shoulders. Sami flinched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t want to talk about it, we get it. We’ll leave you alone,” he said quietly. “Not a word on the Ladyblog or anywhere. We- just wanted to let you know that it’s okay. You’re a good person; we’ve all noticed that.” Nino snorted. “Despite Lila’s claims. I wonder what we all saw in her. Even after I saw how she treated Adrien- I still sort of believed what she said.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not your fault,” Sami mumbled. He was tired- so tired of hiding what he was. And his parents were probably going to kill him. “Lila had the lorelei’s gift. She could’ve made you believe anything if she tried. Ladybug and Cat Noir did something to stop it last night- that’s why you all noticed her lies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya sucked in a breath. “And you noticed because…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because…you’re right. I am a vampire.” Sami took a shuddering breath. “I could hear the difference in her voice, but I didn’t know what it was until recently.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah.” Alya and Nino didn’t move; Sami half-expected them to, after what he’d said. “I’m guessing that you told Ladybug and Cat Noir about it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what Lila said about you and Adrien-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t want to. But I misjudged and didn’t get my dose that morning. Adrien knows; he volunteered, I didn’t make him-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Easy, dude. It’s okay.” Nino waited for Sami to get ahold of himself again. “I bet actually being a vampire isn’t like it is in a book.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. It’s not.” Sami swallowed hard. “That was Riva’s problem; she was convinced it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ouch, that sounds bad. Sorry, that happened, dude. You can tell us stuff- or don’t- but we won’t hold it against you.” Nino gave his shoulder a final pat. “We’ll keep our curiosity in check; we won’t tell anyone else, except to tell them to leave you alone about it.” Nino raised his voice. “Won’t we, babe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alya sighed. “Yeah, we won’t ask. I’d love to know, but I’ve already got enough to do cleaning Lila off the Ladyblog.” She got up to leave; Nino stood as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe-“ Sami raised his head. This was a risk, but- “Maybe-I could answer a few questions. Later.” He glanced at Alya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She grinned. “I may make you regret that,” she said with a wink, and she and Nino left him alone to think.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So...that's out there. Next we'll see some things from Adrien's side.</p><p>Please tell me what you think! Comments/ theories/ questions are always welcome!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. A Visit to the Station</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adrien watches as his father comes to the police.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>This can’t work.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien twitched as he waited in the police station. The cameras and microphones caught everything as his father came in the door. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s going to stop here; he’s going to demand to be met elsewhere, he’s going to turn around and leave-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. The fashion mogul stripped himself of wedding band, watch, glasses and wallet, placing the items in a bin on the conveyor belt. After it passed through, the officer on the other side waved him through the metal detector.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(The detector worked; he had tried to leave his Miraculous on his hand, and it had screamed bloody murder. It had been worth the dirty look from the officer in charge just to know it could detect even magic metal.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the siren went off again; Gabriel was waved to the side for a going-over with a hand-held wand. The wand pinged at Gabriel’s chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir,” said the officer, looking bored, “If you have a pacemaker, I must ask you to show your travel card.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel’s face was a study in anger, but he pulled his cravat aside to reveal an oval brooch. Pulling it off, he opened it to show the officer something. “I…forgot I was wearing this. I wear it for my wife; she’s…gone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The officer was not fazed. “Perhaps, but it needs to go in the bin.” Reluctantly, Gabriel dropped the pin in the bucket. The officer turned to a locked series of cabinets behind him. “All your items will be secured and a claim ticket given you; they will be returned when you leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Surely not everything-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m afraid so, M. Agreste. The threat of akumas is such that we have been ordered to let no guests in the building with loose articles that can be infested.” That the policy had started that morning was something Adrien thought the police were wise not to mention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is ridiculous. I will complain to the mayor!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A shrug. “You may, but the orders came from the president. I highly doubt the mayor can overturn them.” The officer turned back around with a claim number. “Thank you for coming; please present your claim as you exit for the return of your belongings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel stood for a moment before grabbing the ticket and stalking toward the lobby desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien watched as Detective Guerin intercepted his father and steered him towards an interrogation room. He knew his part was coming soon; he just wanted to see-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-Ladybug coming up to the officer at the door and whispering something. He popped a lock with his own key and handed Ladybug an oval brooch. In her hand, the brooch shivered and acquired the four butterfly points. She smiled and put it away in her yoyo as the officer closed the bin again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somehow Adrien didn’t think his father would claim his things for some time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You asked me here, saying you had information on my missing wife. I would like to hear what you have to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>quickly</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Guerin’s lips twisted into a half-smile. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn</span>
  </em>
  <span> if this wasn’t going to be satisfying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’ve got that. But there’s some information I need to give you first. We have reason to believe that Hawkmoth and your wife may have been having an affair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that lie was worth it for the flush on Gabriel’s face. The man jumped to his feet. “What kind of arrant nonsense is this?! I will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure it is. But please explain, M. Agreste, this photo taken from outside your window.” Guerin slid a shot of Hawkmoth in his lair full of butterflies; it was an extremely good one, with a single black butterfly fluttering its way out of frame. “Taken just before the akuma attack last Tuesday morning, at your house. Or perhaps this one,” showing both Hawkmoth and Mayura in the same window, halfway through detransforming. “Isn’t that your assistant?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel’s face turned to stone. “I want my lawyer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you do. Fortunately, someone here can get them for you.” Guerin opened the door for Adrien.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The kid’s face was heartbreaking. “Pére- </span>
  <em>
    <span>why??”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel turned to face the wall. “Your mother would understand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he said not a word more- not to the arresting officers, not to his lawyer, not even to his own son.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Nathalie was waiting in the car outside the police station. She could feel Gabriel’s annoyance, like a buzz against her skin; the ability to sense emotion had increased ever since Duusu’s pin had been repaired.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(She wondered, in quieter moments, if Emilie had ever felt like this. Like everyone was an open book, the emotions of the world as sensations strong enough to bathe in. Certainly being Mayura had been much harder before.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel’s emotions surged and waned before surging again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>&lt;anger/fear/betrayal/FEAR/ANGER&gt;</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” Nathalie stepped out of the car and toward the alley nearby. With that much emotion- Gabriel was in trouble, and the only way to get him out would be a sentimonster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Checking all around her for any watchers, Nathalie pulled off her glasses. “Duusu,” the kwami came out of her jacket, “spread my-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A yoyo wrapped Nathalie in its string from above, interrupting her. “Do you really want to finish that?” came a pleasant girl’s voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug leaped down; a look up showed the yoyo string looped around a pipe. That explained why Nathalie no longer quite felt the ground under her feet. The little girl reached up and plucked the Miraculous off Nathalie’s jacket. “Here, officers; she’s all yours.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The officers that came up behind Ladybug were only slightly gentle with Nathalie; she supposed that, under the circumstances, she was grateful they weren’t going through the front door. The publicity would have Gabriel fuming more than he already was.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, now they're out of Adrien's life. What now?</p><p>Please leave comments/ thoughts below!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Reasons and Questions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adrien has a couple of nasty surprises.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Marinette paced her balcony after putting the recovered Miraculous back in the box. Adrien was later than she thought he would be- maybe Detective Guerin had more to tell him; maybe Gabriel had pulled some miracle and was walking free; maybe the police had changed their minds about charging Gabriel and Nathalie and had let them go-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A </span>
  <em>
    <span>thump!</span>
  </em>
  <span> from behind had her spinning and catching Cat Noir in a hug. “Kitty! Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m…fine…” he wheezed, overplaying his reaction; Marinette giggled. “Really, I am,” he said more softly. “Claws in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette smiled at Plagg. “Tikki’s in my room, with a tray of cheese bread and cookies. And the two of you can go visit everyone in the box if you want.” The black cat kwami didn’t need a second invitation; he dived through the open skylight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pulled Adrien over to the sling chair. “Can I ask how things went down?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pére gave me the silent treatment, so no answers there. Nathalie wasn’t much better.” Adrien was staring at the teapot on Marinette’s table as she wrapped him in a hug. “She said to ask the kwamis, and didn’t tell me anything else. I wonder why the adults in my life are so messed up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even the Gorilla?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien gave her a flat look. “No comments from the girl with a dad who’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>excited</span>
  </em>
  <span> when his daughter brings home a boy. I admit I’ve only seen dad reactions in movies, but- is that </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s the only dad I’ve had, so I don’t know.” Marinette shrugged. “Let’s go ask Nooroo and Duusu. They might even know where Master Fu’s tablet is, and that would be something, anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The kwami had a lot to tell the duo. Adrien was still in shock; his hands shook as he stared at the coffin-like support system holding his mother. Marinette’s arm was around his waist, he leaned into her support as he blinked back tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He wanted- if he wanted to help her,” he whispered. “Why didn’t he just </span>
  <em>
    <span>ask??”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, kitty. I guess- no, I don’t know that either.” Marinette leaned into his side. “He doesn’t seem like the type who would ask anyone for anything, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien shook his head. “Is there any hope? After all this time?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s always hope, Adrien.” Tikki had circled the room, looking closely at the plants full of butterfly cocoons before hovering over the comatose woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plagg draped himself over the top of the glass case. “Sure there is, kid. Magic’s funny like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette waved the tablet in her right hand. “Maybe Master Fu’s notes will have something. Or we could go to the temple in Tibet and see if there’s anything.” She pulled gently on Adrien’s arm. “We’ll come back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien nodded, swallowing hard, and allowed himself to be led to the elevator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Of all the people he didn’t care to see today, his aunt and cousin- well, they weren’t at the top of the list, but the three people who </span>
  <b>
    <em>were</em>
  </b>
  <span> were in prison cells awaiting their time in court. But they were up there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aunt Amelie was the smiling face masking the force of nature she always was. “Oh, Adrien, look at you! It’s been a while!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It has, Aunt Amelie.” Adrien forced a grin. Not that he didn’t love his family, but- their appearance out of nowhere was more than a little suspect. “What brings you to town?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> your nearest relatives, after all. With what happened with Gabriel- of course we were called!” Aunt Amelie waved Felix into the house as Adrien furrowed his brow. How had they known so soon? Something here was definitely amiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was- just surprised you came so fast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were coming for a visit anyway,” Felix stated. He wandered over towards Gabriel’s office, where he was almost bowled over by Marinette rushing out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adrien, I think- oh.” She clutched the tablet to her chest. “I’m sorry; you have visitors.” She narrowed her eyes at Felix.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, after the last time the two of them met, Adrien wasn’t surprised by her reaction. Not that Felix would know why she disliked him. He sighed mentally, already gearing up to mediate between his cousin and his friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, we’ll stay here with you for a bit, as all the formalities are handled, but then you’ll be coming with us to London!” Amelie whisked past Adrien and began to climb the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“…</span>
  <em>
    <span>what?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Adrien thought there was an echo until he realized Marinette had said the same thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you think the authorities would let you live here alone?” Felix said. He may have been addressing Adrien, but he was looking at Marinette as if analyzing a bug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette herself looked absolutely stricken. This was a consequence she clearly hadn’t thought of. Adrien pulled her into a hug; Felix turned away with a slight sneer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, bug,” Adrien whispered. “I’m not leaving yet, and we can always visit each other. Maybe we could go </span>
  <em>
    <span>horse</span>
  </em>
  <span>back riding.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette nodded, squeezing his arm to show she had caught the reference. “Won’t be the same,” she whispered back sadly as she let him go. “I better keep looking…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you looking for?” Felix interrupted. “Perhaps we can help you find it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt it,” said Marinette coldly. She swept into Gabriel’s office, where she sat at Nathalie’s desk and bent her head over the tablet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too bad,” Felix muttered, almost too softly for Adrien to hear. “I’m looking for something too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If it’s those rings you and Aunt Amelie were so hot on getting last time, I don’t know where he kept Mom’s ring. If he put it anywhere, it’s probably with her,” Adrien said, nettled. “And his is at the police station; good luck getting it back from them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Felix stared at him. “Oh.” His cousin wandered up the staircase, presumably to follow his mother; Adrien couldn’t find it in him to care much. Instead, he turned to the office; maybe Marinette could use a hand.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, how will this work out?</p><p>Please leave any thoughts/ comments below!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Requests</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami rejoins his classmates, but Marinette needs him to answer a question.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks be heaped on Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sami’s fingers were sore, so he’d given up any more violin for the day. He didn’t feel like company, but also didn’t feel like being alone, so he opted for trying to sneak his way to the edge of the group surrounding the Kitty Section practice area. And that might have worked if Rose hadn’t spotted him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sami! We didn’t mean to mob you!” she exclaimed as she grabbed him in a tackle-hug. The others nodded, but kept their distance; their quick glances at Luka and Nino told Sami who he had to thank for their restraint.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Rose,” he smiled, closed-mouthed, and patted the blonde on the back. She let go and went back to the rehearsal setup, where the band was waiting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Making sure his earplugs were still secure, Sami took a seat by Nathaniel. The redhead gave him a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey- I wanted to ask if you could help me and Marc out,” Nathaniel said. His sketchbook was out, as usual. “We wanted to do something different for our comic; maybe have Ladybug and Cat Noir fighting different creatures, but we don’t want it to be, like, a cliché kind of creature. Any ideas?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami snorted. “Subtle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unrepentant, Nathaniel shrugged. “Accuracy would be a bonus, but we really do want ideas for classics reimagined. Just think about it, okay?” He turned away as Kitty Section began their signature </span>
  <em>
    <span>I Love Unicorns.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami bit down a grin and tugged Nathaniel’s sleeve. “Would a unicorn be a classic creature?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Puzzled, the artist nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good, because they don’t really look much like they do in books. They’re smaller than ponies, kind of a light, mottled gray-green to blend into forests, with a black horn shading to white at the tip. Except when it’s red.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathaniel was sketching furiously. “When it’s red?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami, looking over his shoulder, saw a fairly decent rendition of his description. A few details to tweak, and he’d have it. “Yeah, right after they’ve killed something with it.” A horrified look from Nathaniel almost made him laugh. “Um…yeah, they’re carnivorous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathaniel didn’t ask anything else for a while, but his face was thoughtful as the class continued to listen to the band.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s pocket vibrated. Pulling out his phone, he saw a text from Marinette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>M: Got a really serious question to ask you, or maybe your dad. Can we talk in a bit?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami’s brows pinched together. Last he’d heard, she and Adrien were going to try to help the police get Hawkmoth and Mayura out of the picture. He was sure Nikolai would want to know how that went, too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>S: Sure, if you want to join our nightly chat, feel free. Do you want to come over?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>M: Better not; Adrien’s got company, and they seem too curious. I’ll join in from home; and Adrien might too. Thanks.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>S: What for?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>M: For being willing to help, even when you don’t know why. See you later!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That was pretty ominous</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Sami thought. Whatever she wanted to talk about must be serious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p><b><em>“I have a question. Do either of you know what ‘tears of the blood’ could be?”</em></b> <span> Marinette was twiddling her fingers, her shoulders hunched. Her explanation of what had happened to Adrien’s mother was shocking; Sami tried to imagine what he’d do if his mother was in a magical coma, and failed. It sounded horrible.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai shook his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m sorry, Marinette. That’s not something I’ve ever come across.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette sighed. </span>
  <b>
    <em>“I have to figure it out. Adrien’s family is here to take him away, and my only chance is to wake up his mother. The only reference I could find said it was simple…but the translation was incomplete, and I haven’t found a plant that fits.”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there anyone you could ask?” Sami tapped his chin with a finger. “Maybe what you’re looking for isn’t a plant.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><b><em>“I thought of that. There’s somewhere I could go, but with the language barriers and- other reasons- I want to save it as a last resort.”</em></b> <span>Marinette blinked hard.</span> <b><em>“Could it be something like vampire’s tears?”</em></b></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Except that wouldn’t be ‘simple’. Vampires don’t produce a lot of tears; we only produce enough moisture to keep our eyes lubricated.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikolai shook his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We aren’t human, Marinette; we don’t cry when we’re upset, we scream.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p><b><em>“I’m ready to scream,”</em></b> <span>Marinette muttered, then a tear leaked out of her eye. </span><b><em>“Guess I have to go there after all. Thanks for trying.”</em></b></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, Marinette.” Sami couldn’t leave it at that. “We could try your thought first, right? I’d like to try and help. How much time do we have?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Not a lot. I don’t know when Adrien’s aunt wants to leave, but she already has him packing.”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then we’ll try tomorrow morning. Adrien’s house?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette nodded. </span>
  <b>
    <em>“My house first; it’ll be better if we don’t try to get a tear on the spot. Thank you. Even if this doesn’t work- thank you!”</em>
  </b>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Will that work? We'll see!</p><p>Let me know your theories/ comments below!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Tears</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sami, Marinette and Adrien attempt to wake up Emilie.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Thanks to Elric-Draconious for the beta!</p><p>Only one more chapter to go!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adrien hadn’t been as sneaky as he thought- his aunt and cousin were sharper than the other adults he’d ever lived with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are your friends, sweetie?” Aunt Amelie’s bright voice filled the foyer as Adrien let Marinette and Sami in. “Oh, I met you yesterday! And you are…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is Sami, Aunt Amelie. We’re going to be in the office,” Adrien stated, moving toward the room. Sami and Marinette followed, but so did Amelie and Felix (who appeared at the top of the stairs uncannily like his father used to).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, what are you up to?” His aunt was too curious. Adrien threw a glance at Marinette, and the two of them had an entire conversation with looks and gestures as Sami, and his aunt and cousin looked on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do we dare tell them?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We should. They’re family.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But the Miraculous part-do they know about Hawkmoth/ Gabriel?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They know he was arrested; they don’t know why yet.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Then we’ll tell them that much. They don’t need to know everything.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Adrien sighed.</span> <span>“Come and see,” he said. “You might as well see what my father was doing.”</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leading the way, Adrien went directly to the painting of his mother. He sent Marinette down first, which shocked Aunt Amelie and Felix; Sami didn’t seem surprised, so Marinette must have explained. Sami went down next, and Adrien gestured for Felix to go next. “Well?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where exactly are we going?” Felix asked suspiciously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien twisted his mouth into a small smile, though he wasn’t feeling anything like mirth. “To see Mom.” Ignoring Aunt Amelie’s gasp, he waved to the elevator. “Shall we?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why did I come?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sami was sure he didn’t belong here for this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Getting something like a tear out of him had been frustrating for both Sami and Marinette. An hour’s worth of work, and it was barely enough to count as a drop. Sami rubbed at his irritated eye when Marinette’s back was turned. Honestly, he couldn’t see this working, but he understood: Marinette was trying any way she could to help her Cat. </span><em><span>I’d probably do the same</span></em> <em><span>if I were her.</span></em></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was intrusive of him to be here, though- the looks he was getting from Adrien’s cousin were proof enough of that. Clearly, he shouldn’t be here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman next to Adrien- his aunt, Sami thought, from the resemblance to the woman in the glass coffin- turned on her nephew. “Emilie- my sister is here? Why wasn’t she buried in the family crypt?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s not dead,” Marinette interrupted tartly. “Ladybug told us. It’s a magical coma, from using a broken Miraculous. Gabriel was trying to get the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous to bring her out of it, but she said it would just put someone else in the coma if he tried. We’re trying to find another way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Felix snorted quietly; Marinette was about to take umbrage, but a glance from Adrien calmed her down. She stepped over to the coffin and pressed the release for the lid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami glanced over at Adrien; he stood with his shoulders hunched, and his gaze locked on what Marinette was doing. His aunt and cousin were huddled together nearby, but neither raised a hand to comfort Emilie’s son.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami sidled over to Adrien and put a hand on his shoulder. “If this doesn’t work, we’ll keep trying. You know that, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien closed his eyes, then opened them again. “Yeah. I know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette turned the vial over, letting the tiny teardrop fall on Emilie’s cheek. Sami held his breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette’s shoulders shook, and she turned to Adrien, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Adrien…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave her a hug. “You tried, Bug,” he croaked softly. “And we’ll keep trying, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded and gave him another squeeze before moving away. Amelie caught her wrist, and the two of them began a furious whispered conversation, while Felix approached Sami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What exactly was that supposed to accomplish?” he sneered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami eyed the boy. “If it isn’t obvious, we’re trying to wake up your aunt. Is there a problem?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no problem here.” Felix’s tone said more than that; Sami could practically hear the ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t believe you’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>behind the words. He didn’t know what Felix’s issue was, and didn’t feel the need to ask so long as the cold brat left Adrien alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien himself was bent over his mother, talking softly, tears running down his cheeks. He tried to wipe them away, but one escaped to fall onto his mother’s face. He buried his face for a moment in his mother’s neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami caught the twitch first; he gasped as Emilie slowly raised her hand to pat Adrien’s hair. “Love you too, kitten,” she rasped, her voice harsh from disuse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien startled and jerked back. “Mom?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Emilie smiled at her son; Sami stepped back as Amelie rushed for the coffin. His throat closed as he watched the small family celebrate; even though Emilie was too weak to stand, she hugged all of her family. She even managed to pull Felix in for a hug (which he only pretended to suffer through).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette was muttering to herself as she watched. “What?” whispered Sami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“’Tears of the blood’! Of course, it would be a blood relative’s tears! How could I have been so </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Marinette’s cheeks were pink; with embarrassment or anger, Sami couldn’t tell. “I’d really be mad at Gabriel right now if I weren’t madder at myself. It really was simple!” She glanced at the vampire. “Sorry about your eye.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it. You were under a ton of pressure; not everyone can think clearly then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can- usually. I guess I’ve gotten too used to things being complicated.” Marinette smiled then, at the scene, but then she frowned. “Should we get some help? I don’t think Mme. Agreste can walk to the elevator.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami snorted. “Who are you talking to again? She can’t weigh as much as a month-old calf; I’ll get her upstairs. Just see that there’s a place for me to put her once I get her there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right.” Marinette took off for the elevator as Sami took a step toward the family group. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Time to get them moving.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And time to see if this lets Adrien stay. </span>
  </em>
  <span>For both Marinette’s and Adrien’s sake, Sami hoped so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>And with Emilie around, Adrien could. Sami heard about Emilie’s recovery, and her reappearance caused a mild sensation. Amelie and Felix extended their stay, until Emilie was back on her feet (and until Gabriel’s trial was over- a process that was considerably speeded up by Gabriel’s sudden change to a ‘guilty’ plea. Emilie’s visit while still wheelchair-bound apparently had a profound effect on the man.) Adrien still modeled for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gabriel</span>
  </em>
  <span> brand alongside his mother, but the shoots were less frequent, and the brand pulled back on advertising for a while as the company restructured itself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By comparison, the rest of the school term was boring. Adrien and Sami got a good grade for their project, and school mostly settled back to normal. Sami was left completely alone, although he did provide Marc and Nathaniel with descriptions of several creatures for a special-run comic series due out three months later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frankly, Sami was amazed at the complete lack of- well, anything- coming from his class. They said absolutely nothing- no speculation, no rumors, no side-eying, and not a peep from the rest of the school. Ivan, Adrien, Juleka, and Sami even participated in a school talent show, and everyone had gushed about the performance afterward. The sheer </span>
  <em>
    <span>normality</span>
  </em>
  <span> was slightly unnerving, if welcome. Sami wondered why everyone was so chill here, where they weren’t at his school in Orleans.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Paris also settled back to normal; no more akumas meant Ladybug and Cat Noir were seen less; they made a statement about Hawkmoth being stopped, and as more and more time passed with no akumas, eventually the city moved on. Mostly, anyway; a booming business in therapy for all the emotions people had repressed all that time began and was even mildly encouraged by politicians, medical professionals, and educators. There was remarkably little drama regarding Hawkmoth’s fate, almost as if the city didn’t want to jinx anything by pushing the heroes for answers, and those that knew didn’t care to talk about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the end of the term, Sami packed up and left the city, glad he had gone, but wanting to get back to the farm. There was something about </span>
  <em>
    <span>home</span>
  </em>
  <span> that was just- better. Most of his new friends promised to visit when they could spare the time, and also emailed often to keep in touch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only kind of dark spot for Sami was having to go back to his old school, not knowing what had happened while he was gone. Had the rumors died down? Would Riva cause more trouble? Even though he now had other friends on his side, he still worried about the first day of the next term.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And that wraps most things up. We have an epilogue tomorrow.</p><p>I had to go for COVID testing today. Not fun, is it?</p><p>Please let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Epilogue: Pastoral</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Our Heroes visit Sami at home.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Most) Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.</p><p>Elric-Draconious deserves all the thanks for the beta work.The original agreement was for the first ten chapters, but they stuck through the whole thing! Thank you!</p><p>Thank you to the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server, for motivation and feedback. Should any of you wish to get fanfic recommendations- or write fic yourselves- check them out. (I'll post a link when I figure out how.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So, was it as terrible as you feared?” Marinette plucked a long strand of grass from the base of the fencepost as she watched Adrien scratch the ears of a goat. Sami was spreading fodder inside the pen and checking the drinking water supply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t. Riva is gone, for starters; </span>
  <em>
    <span>apparently,</span>
  </em>
  <span> her ‘wild claims’ attracted the attention of the school counselor, who recommended a psychological evaluation after discovering what she did to Franco and me. Next thing Franco knew, she was gone, and her family isn’t talking. And without her pushing, everyone pretty much forgot about what she said. Franco now has friends again, and so do I, which is great.” Sami brushed his hands off on his pants and came back to the fence. “Adrien, if you keep scratching Chocolate, she’ll probably fall over from bliss in a minute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette giggled. Maybe it was a bit frivolous to use the Horse Miraculous to visit Sami, but- it was cheaper than the train, and they could be home in time for dinner. Their relationship had taken off after Sami left, with Emilie and Tom both cheering from the sidelines and embarrassing their children thoroughly in the process. Sabine, the voice of reason, decreed a two-family dinner twice a month, and the rest of the dates were up to the kids so long as their grades were kept up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Adrien had been looking forward to this little trip; he had never been to a farm before or seen anything but small animals and horses close up. Neither had Marinette; already, several ideas had come to her as she took in the fields of cows and goats, and the lush green forest that bordered the farm on one side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plagg and Tikki were enjoying the trip too; Tikki was curled up on Chocolate’s back, while Plagg sprawled on top of a fencepost in a sunbeam. Kaalki had declared the whole thing beneath her, and per her request, Marinette had put the glasses away in a box tucked into her purse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then, Ryker, one of the farmhands, came jogging up to Sami. “Your dad wants you in the goat barn; Banana’s in labor and he needs your help.” Sami nodded and took off at a run; Marinette glanced at Adrien, and they scooped up their kwami and ran after him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they caught up, Sami was already scrubbing his arm in a bucket of soapy water. “What’s going on?” Adrien asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai responded from inside the barn; he was kneeling next to a goat with an almost creamy-yellow coat. “Banana here is having trouble delivering her kids. Sami’s hands are smaller than mine, and he’s really good at deliveries; the vet’s been having him help for years.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Banana certainly looked like she was having trouble; the poor goat was nearly as wide as she was tall. Marinette’s jaw dropped; Adrien’s eyes were wide. Tikki flitted forward, excited, while Plagg yawned and tucked himself into Adrien’s pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami had finished scrubbing and stationed himself at the goat’s back end; Marinette couldn’t see what he was doing, but his eyes were closed as he tried to find the problem. “Two babies trying to come at once, Dad. One’s in a little better position; I’ll try to pull it first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai nodded and kept his eyes on the goat’s. Marinette thought he was probably helping to keep Banana calm. As Sami worked, Ryker and Efram came back with Sami’s sister Tallis; all three had handfuls of towels and stood near Sami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sami pulled back suddenly, with a wet baby goat in his hands. Quickly he handed it off to Efram, who made sure the baby was breathing and gave it a quick rub with the towel before putting it down in front of Banana. Sami pulled a second one just as fast, which he gave to Ryker, who did the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Banana looked so much better that Marinette was surprised when Sami continued to work. “Isn’t she finished? She had two,” she asked Nikolai.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nikolai shook his head. “First rule of animal births; always check for another baby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dad?” Sami said, his eyes closed again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?” Nikolai glanced back at Sami.<br/></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Triplets.” And Sami pulled a third little baby goat from its mother, handing it to Efram. Sami worked for another minute, as Nikolai showed Banana her babies, and she began to lick them off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s it,” Sami said, moving over to the bucket to wash; Tallis handed him a towel. Adrien was clearly fascinated by the babies. “Three girls, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep. Names?” Nikolai was getting up from his position next to the mother. “We have a tradition,” he explained to Marinette. “Goats get named after sweet things because they really aren’t that sweet. Girl kids are named after their mothers.” He looked at the babies; one was already trying to stand up. “So, a brown, a white, and a black. It’ll be Banana Bread, Banana Cream, and-“ He paused, at a loss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Banana Noir,” declared Marinette. Adrien threw her a glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” he asked, deadpan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sweet things,” she said lightly, smirking at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, turning slightly pink before returning his gaze to the goats. Sami and Nikolai looked on, bemused by the byplay, before shrugging at each other. “Okay, Banana Noir it is,” Nikolai agreed. “Who am I to argue with a baker?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The threesome left, wandering over to the cow barn to look at the calves. Marinette asked Sami, “What about that girl- Candace? Are you two still emailing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And video-chatting,” Sami said, a soft smile coming across his face. “The whole eye contact thing isn’t a problem over the internet. I gave her a virtual tour of the farm, and she showed me around hers. I think, maybe- if she wanted to come here, I’d like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you go there?” Adrien asked. Sami shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Candace already said she’s not interested in staying in Michigan forever; that was one of the reasons she wanted to travel. Her youngest brother is going to take over the family farm; one of her brothers is already bonded and moving to California, and the other two have potential mates already contacted. Candace was the odd one out for not wanting to be on the vampire version of Tinder yet.” Sami shrugged at Marinette’s look of disbelief. “We aren’t that numerous; that combined with the bonding issue, you had to figure that we’d jump on that technology when we saw it. Keeps us from bonding with our cousins too often. I’d have joined next year if I hadn’t met Candace.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette blinked. She- hadn’t thought of that. Conducting all your dating and courtship by email and chat- she couldn’t imagine it. She glanced over at Adrien, more grateful than ever that he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>here,</span>
  </em>
  <span> with </span>
  <em>
    <span>her,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and that she didn’t have to wait to see him if she didn’t want to.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Sami moved his visitors on, heading for the farmhouse. “What about Paris? Anything new for the Ladybug and the Black Cat?” He was genuinely curious; he had a fondness for the city now that he hadn’t had before his time there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adrien smiled. “Nothing major. There were a couple of fake akuma reports that we had to check out to find out what was really going on. Seems Hawkmoth had a small fan club, and they were trying to fake attacks to ‘get him to return’. A round of dealing with real superpowered people didn’t stop them, but they got themselves arrested for disturbing the peace and filing false reports.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“On the other hand – Luka told us about a couple of boats that sank under suspicious circumstances along the Seine- one right in front of him,” Marinette said. “He thinks there’s something under the water; we may want to look and see. But no one official has said anything yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Plus, we’ve added trips to Tibet to train as Guardians. That’s taking more of our free time, especially since summer’s coming,” added Adrien. “We won’t have any free time during the school year, and Marinette still has commissions to do. She’s getting more popular than ever!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Climbing the step to the front door, Sami grinned at his friends. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Who’d have thought- the Black Cat and Ladybug friends with us!</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Then let’s enjoy lunch, and I’ll show you the dairy after. Plagg may even get enough cheese for him!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never!” shouted the kwami, catapulting himself into the farmhouse. Laughing, Sami and his friends followed.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And this is the end! (Maybe...)</p><p>This was an...interesting story to write. Past the general idea, it didn't come easily. By comparison, 'Perspectives' virtually wrote itself, I just had to get it down in the computer; 'Blood Kin' took dedicated hours and progress was often measured in handfuls of words. But I do like this AU, and I may write other stories here- maybe more or less connected to Miraculous.</p><p>I only have one complete story to post after this; it's just as well, since I will be disconnected from the interwebs for an indeterminate amount of time. (Weeks, not months, but I'll work on more stories in the meantime. Promise.) I will try to post it before the virtual lockdown begins.</p><p>Please let me know what you think! I enjoy hearing your input!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Granted, this may not seem like an MLB story right off the bat. Trust me, we'll get there.</p><p>Huge thanks to my beta reader, Elric-Draconious, for reading and proofwork, and to the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server for the motivation to finish this story.</p><p>Hope you enjoy this AU as much as I am! Please feel free to comment below.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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